


The Story with No Ending

by mistEEarts



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Reincarnation, Friends to Lovers, Fukurodani Kenma, Kenma and Akaashi switched schools, KuroKen - Freeform, Light Angst, Like really slow, M/M, Memories, Mystery, Past Lives, Platonic Bokuroo, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Soulmates AU, Temporary Character Death, im telling you guys this is a very VERY slow burn Kuroken, myths and legends, nekoma akaashi, platonic akaken, side bokuaka, slow build? idk.. u guys decide, this is a seriously slow build, this is going to be a long book :3
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-10
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-10 01:20:30
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 11
Words: 94,700
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27995919
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mistEEarts/pseuds/mistEEarts
Summary: There's a myth about a special person designed by the stars that brings luck wherever they go. Not only they bring luck, they can also give away a wish that can grant anything a human desires.Just like everyone else, this person is also a human with a story to tell.A story about their childhood, their friendships, their love life...And their story lived on as a legend that two certain people hold closely. It didn't really matter to them until memories that are vaguely familiar starts haunting them. Not only that, a certain vendetta from the past too.What will become of the present's story as the past comes back to continue a story with no ending.orSoulmates AU/Reincarnation AU where Kenma has unique eyes and Kuroo gets lost in them. Some invisible force pushes them to meet.
Relationships: Akaashi Keiji/Bokuto Koutarou, Kozume Kenma/Kuroo Tetsurou
Comments: 30
Kudos: 33





	1. 617 years later

**Author's Note:**

> Hi! so this is the first chapter. Last week I posted a teaser for this book titled 'wait for me (because I wished to live another life with you)' and a few has seen it and if you're one of those few readers, COOL! here's chapter 1 and I hope you'll enjoy it.
> 
> Notes and Disclaimer:
> 
> I do not own the characters. They belong to the creator of Haikyuu and there are a few things about the characters that I based on the fanon version. Of course, I also stayed true with some of the canon elements of the characters and events too. Before coming up with the story, I did my best to research some history and all that stuff for things to make sense. 
> 
> so yeah, I guess that's it. I hope you'll enjoy reading!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day where memories started haunting them.

_“I hold the life of the Wishing Star. May the gods of the universe grant my wish. A wish for a second life for myself and names I fondly hold, for we may live in a peaceful life in the perfect time to continue a story that will go untold,” There it was, the light leaving his body, feeling only the emptiness of a human filled with anguish and regrets._

****

**_The next Star will fall as the wish be granted…_ **

_Kenma was surrounded by fire. The smell of freshly spilled blood, metal, and smoke filled his lungs. He didn’t mind the blood that trickles past his eyes and neck. The blood tickles his skin but that’s only a detail not worth focusing on. He was focused on the very man he was holding in his arms right now. He gently presses his head to his chest as Kenma adjusts to support the weight of the love of his life on his lap. Kenma tucks his lover’s fringe to see both of his eyes, still sparkling with life, he took a relieved breath._

_“You’re going to be okay Tetsu. Tomorrow you will wake up and Kou-san would be there waking everybody up at the crack of dawn. Keiji-kun would have finished serving rice and fish for breakfast… and I… I would be by your side,” Kenma says, barely audible trying to hold back a sob. He doesn’t need to say it louder; he knows that Tetsurou hears him, he always hears Kenma._

_Tears mix with the streaming red liquid from his cheeks as he lowers his head, pressing their foreheads together. He can still feel the warmth of his skin, the anticipation of it turning cold anytime now adds to the weight of the feeling in his chest._

_He couldn’t think about what’s bound to happen, Kenma simply tries to flood his mind with all the beautiful sight he's seen of the very man in his arms, now covered with soot and dirt all over himself and blood gushing out from his body, slowly ending Tetsurou._

_“Kenma,” Tetsurou whispers, gurgling the blood that still pools in his mouth, Kenma stays still opening his eyes, not knowing he has his eyes closed all this time. His tears fell on Tetsurou’s cheek, staining it red from his own blood. “Don’t worry, we will see each other again. The universe should be in our favor if we see each other again in the perfect time, an age where we can be together without the pain, fear, and hatred… and I will love you,” Kenma finally breaks into a cry… but fights himself to try to smile for him. He leans back to see Tetsurou with a soft smile on his face._

_Ah, what a sight…_

_A sight that he hopes to see in the next life..._

_“And I will meet you again like how we met, with our eyes locked on each other, but this time…” Tetsurou reaches for Kenma’s cheek but Kenma met his hands halfway, so the raven-haired man won’t suffer any more pain. Kenma intertwines his fingers to his. “It would be as simple men, not enemies… though you were only disguised as a simple man when we had our acquaintances… maybe you pulled that off too well, a beautiful simple man,” Tetsurou rambles and chuckles, dwelling in that fond memory as Kenma laughs in between sobs, the weight somehow feeling a little lighter, caressing his lover’s forehead lovingly._

_“I knew you could make a great spy rather than an assassin… Kenma,” Tetsurou trails off, that is not a good sign. Kenma gulps as he notices the grip on his hand begins to loosen. Kenma's mouth twitches, forcing back a sob as he replies to his love._

_“Don’t worry love… In the next life, there will be no secrets, no trickery, no masks. It will be just me with all my heart, Tetsurou. I will love you all over again…” Kenma looks over and Tetsurou’s eyes were fixated on him, life evidently slipping away. Kenma hugs him closer to feel his warmth one last time._

_Somewhere in the world, Tetsurou will be reborn. But the next Fallen Star won't be designed until Kenma's wish is granted. The younger man lets his tears flow like a river, whispering to his love as he felt Tetsurou breathed his last…_

_“So please, wait for me…”_

Kenma’s eyes open, the weight from his chest and the mixed emotions leaving all together instantly. Tears trickled down at his temples, his eyes still adjusting. He remembers he’s still in his grandparent’s place here in Miyagi. His last day in Miyagi, he thought to himself.

Kenma wipes the tears that were surprisingly a lot as he yawns. He gets up from his futon and notices the sun is still rising from the horizon but it was already a little bright for the morning. Kenma groans lightly, realizing how early he just got up, and decides to go under the covers once again before the futon goes cold.

Kenma sniffles and this surprised him. ‘Wow, did I really cry that much for a dream?’

A dream… _What dream?_

Kenma reaches for the top side of the futon for the tissues and proceeds to blow his nose. He hasn’t had any type of dream that made him cry that hard before unless it’s some kind of a nightmare but that only happened when he was a child. He’s 17 now and in the next school year, he’s going to be a second-year student.

But in the meantime, it’s the last day of his vacation in Miyagi and now his mind lingers to what he could possibly do in another day without his beloved time-passers (his gaming devices). He could hang out again with his childhood (only) friend, Hinata Shoyo but he’s thinking if he can endure another day of tiring volleyball practices, especially with Shoyo’s newfound determination to level up big time. Shoyo kept mentioning he will beat this Kageyama Tobio fellow once he joins in his high school volleyball club.

Now that he’s thinking about volleyball, Kenma has been considering that he might rejoin Volleyball this year, not sure if the motivation came from Shoyo finally being promoted as a high school student (since then he’d have someone to talk about volleyball with) or because of something else.

Whatever it is, he doesn’t really care.

His cellular phone suddenly rang, startling the poor semi-blonde. He props himself up with his elbow and reaches for the noisy device on his side and saw that it was only his red-headed best friend who was calling... early in the morning. ‘Well, speak of the devil.’

“Good morning, Shou” Kenma answers the phone, his voice a little dry from just waking up on an hour when he’s supposed to be still catching Z’s. “Hey Kenma!” The semi-blonde had to put his phone a little farther away to avoid getting hearing problems from Shoyo’s greetings every time they call. But Kenma’s used to it anyway.

“I know you won’t be joining me to practice volleyball…” _Well, that’s nice._ Kenma can still feel the last day of vacation plans coming since this is Hinata Shoyo he’s talking to. “… So, to spend your last day here in Miyagi, let’s hang out,” Kenma turns to his side on the futon. “Right now?” he asks.

“Well, not now-now. Maybe a few hours from now, whenever you want. I’m planning to turn this day to be awesome!” Shoyo exclaims “Or just take the time to chill out. You decide,” he adds. Though it’s a little noisy and how their personality doesn’t match at all, Kenma doesn’t really mind being friends with Shoyo despite their differences. Since they are childhood friends after all. They have been hanging out for years and for all those years proved that Shoyo is the only one who can understand Kenma on a deep level and he’s thankful for that.

“2 hours from now. My parents are picking me up around before lunch,” Kenma replies while checking the clock in his room, also feeling a little melancholic after realizing that this is the last day he’s going to hang out with Shoyo before the next vacation.

“That early? Aw man, I was going to ask you to come with me to watch a volleyball game here this afternoon,” Shoyo says laced with dismay.

“Maybe you should ask that Kageyama. Maybe he would want to come with you,”

“THAT Kageyama?! No way, he’s my enemy and I am supposed to beat him not befriend him,” Shoyo huffs. 

“Maybe in the futu-,”

“Nothing is going to happen between us except me beating his ass on volleyball,” the redhead interrupts, making Kenma laugh softly. “Alright, whatever you say,” at the same time, Kenma’s door slid open, revealing his grandma in the doorway with a sweet smile on her face.

“Kyanma, breakfast is ready, son. Your parents will be here soon. So best get up and spend some time with us and your friend before you go,” Kenma sits up from his futon and rubs his eyes. “Sure grandma,” Kenma smiles at his grandma before she closes the door before her. Kenma turns back to his call, “Shou, I’ll call you later when I’m ready,”

“I’ll see you later then!” Shoyo replies, Kenma can hear his wide grin through the line. Kenma ends the call and puts the phone down before stretching his arms upwards. Kenma rubs his eyes once again and feels the dry tear stains against his fingers. He tilts his head in confusion at first until he remembers. “I forgot I woke up crying,” He mutters.

He wipes it all off using his sleeves then proceeds to fix his beddings, trying to recall what the dream was about. It wasn’t something he should be stressing about since the majority of his dreams weren’t that important to remember anyway so this could be one of those dreams that he’ll eventually forget at the end of the day. ‘It’s not that important’ he thought. But then he stopped in his tracks.

_“Don’t worry love… In the next life, there will be no secrets, no trickery, no masks. It will be just me with all my heart. I will love you all over again… So please, wait for me,”_

He wipes a tear that suddenly fell from his cheek. It took him a while to realize that the voice belonged to him, and it was as clear as the day. He stood there, frozen, with the futon on his other hand as he digs deep into his mind to search for the dream that suddenly slipped away, using the last bit of memory he just gained. ‘Why did I sound so longing?’

He could only hope for the memory of the dream to come back for it to answer the questions that now is coming through his mind, but what came back was the heavy feeling in his chest, weighing him down. He felt immense loneliness in himself, like the feeling of loss, feeling it for the first time. The faint sound of wind chimes pulled him out from the mini trance.

Kenma took a deep breath as he clutched the shirt on his chest with his free hand in an attempt to ground himself. ‘Maybe it’s just because I’m leaving Miyagi again and will not see the only friend I have for a year.’ He took another deep breath that finally calms down.

‘Yes, that could be the only explanation.’

Maybe it’s true that Kenma is someone who hasn’t experienced extreme feelings due to leaving a certain place, he could be experiencing it right now since Miyagi has been a special place for him and it makes him melancholic whenever he leaves for Tokyo. The only reason he ever feels sad whenever he leaves is that he’s parting from his friend.

This could be the reason for the weighing feeling. The fact that things are starting to change, being in second-year high school in a new environment and turning 18 this year and all; that he also needs to change also…

But that doesn’t relate to why he ever felt so emotionally pained, by thinking about the part of the dream that was vivid, enough for it to burn in his mind.

_So please, wait for me…_

‘Wait for who? Wait for Shoyo?’

_Tetsurou…_

Kenma slaps both of his cheeks lightly, to wake himself fully and finishes putting away the futon, and went straight to the bathroom. He washed his face and fixed his bedhead hair before he went straight to the table to see that everybody was already there, including his parents who just arrived after hours of driving. He felt the sense of relief seeing his parents again after a few weeks of being apart from each other, also considering the fact that their work demand made them absent in most of Kenma’s everyday life in Tokyo.

“There’s our Ken-ken,” His father says, as his mother stands up from her chair and walked towards the semi-blonde.

Kenma’s mind still lingers to that thought but pushes it back as he greets his parents with a hug (obviously from the parents) and sits down for the meal, trying his best to ignore the lingering feeling that keeps nudging him in his chest.

*** 

Shoyo has been hugging and patting Kenma for almost 5 minutes now, spewing words of goodbye with reminiscent lines. Kenma just gives in, he doesn’t complain since he does likes hugs after all. The morning felt like it went by fast but it was enough for Kenma to say it was well spent.

The whole morning was spent with only Shoyo and Kenma taking their time walking around the neighborhood while they recall those days, the days where they would go to a park and practice volleyball or just ride a bike somewhere, just some simple spring break activities. As Shoyo filled the silence with his stories, Kenma took his time to take in the last traces of Winter breeze in this place away from urban blights. He watched the spring flowers flutter through the wind, falling on the ground. He indulged himself in nature’s embrace one last time to feel the beauty of the place at those times, adding Shoyo’s loud voice, it was a perfect vacation. He can’t wait for the next one, he thought.

Shoyo lets go and looks at Kenma’s eyes, a bit of hesitation came. Whenever they meet eye to eye, the young redhead’s reaction never changes, but it’s not like he fears Kenma or something. Kenma’s used to it since it not the first time he surprised people with his unique eyes.

“Join the volleyball team this year so we can go to an official match together at the nationals,” Shoyo gives him his determined smile.

“We’ll see,” Kenma simply replies and Shoyo puts his hands out, an indication that they should do their secret handshake before Kenma finally enters the car. The duo bid their final goodbye before Kenma fully enters the car and it starts moving. Kenma looks at the side mirror to see Shoyo disappears in the corner.

‘Great, another year of solitude… I guess’ he sighs.

“Kenma, don’t forget to go to your new school to take your ID after we arrive. And also familiarize yourself in the new neighborhood while you’re out,” _Right, I forgot I transferred_.

His mom peaks to check on her son, who is currently looking outside the window. If he has his hands on his PS, his focus would be purely being on the gaming device only. But right now, he has no choice but to reply with a full phrase or a sentence.

“Sure, I will.” He replies with a flat tone, his eyes fixated on the clouds. His mom was still talking when he settles on his seat.

Once he felt like he wasn’t being watched, he puts his arm up to the window sill and laid his head on the comfort of the sleeves of his hoodie.

 _New school,_ he thought. Maybe, just maybe, this ‘another year of solitude’ might just change after all.

The semi-blonde let himself drift to sleep after a while, his mind still lingering on the dream he had last night, wondering who he could have asked to wait for him.

*** 

Kenma stares at the ID he just received that afternoon from his new school, which wasn’t really far away. It turns out, he just needed to take a walk towards the train station which is only a few meters away from their neighborhood. Ride the train and get out on the second stop and walk again, and he would have arrived at Fukurodani Academy in roughly 30 minutes.

Yes, he is now a student of a private school and Kenma plans to make a change for the better now since this is a new environment and luck supposed to be on his side.

Well, it always has been, in fact.

“Kenma,” His mom opened his bedroom door to see her son in front of the TV with Legend of Zelda on the screen. Kenma pauses his game and turned to face his mother, seeing the usual disapproving look when she catches his son in front of the TV before she sighs and raises something she brought in her hand, it looks like an old book. This caught the gamer’s attention.

“I almost forgot to give this to you today, Oba-san told me to give it to you. She said that this should serve as her late Christmas present to you,” Kenma reaches to take the familiar book from her hand before his mom heads outside, “Dinner in a few minutes,” She quickly reminded before disappearing in the hallway. Kenma’s brow twitched in annoyance as he groans, standing up to close the door his mom left open.

‘Why didn’t grandma give this to me while I was in Miyagi?’ he thought.

Kenma then looks at the book that his mom gave and remembers that his grandmother keeps old legends and mythical stories of the past. He liked those, when he was a kid at least, but only one legend stayed and held a special place in his heart and it’s not something he really believes wholeheartedly, but it’s something that he keeps returning to. There’s just this nostalgia with his grandparents when he was a kid, his grandma would tell him he is their ‘lucky boy’ as she reads him this certain story, the book he is now holding.

Kenma proceeds to sit at the edge of his bed and opened the first page of the book to see the familiar dots. The same constellation he is used to seeing his grandmother draw while she tells the story of _Yamaneko’s Lover_.

And yes, the legend that he holds dearly is a tragic love story.

Kenma flipped through the pages and sees the drawings of the story he has heard a million times. About an assassin tasked to eliminate a fault of the universe, only to have fallen in love with that very person. A love story, written with passion and emotion that Kenma feels gets intrigued by it somehow.

 _Maybe because he’s a sucker for finding a secret happy ending to it_. Kenma was flipping through pages and he hasn’t noticed he was smiling as he rereads the old characters that burned in his mind back when he was still sleeping in his parents’ bedroom.

“The so-called fault of the universe was called the Wishing Star or Fallen Star for the others. The person brings luck wherever they go and the stars live in their eyes, and they grant wishes too,” Kenma can still remember his grandfather’s voice when he told him about the myth and how Kenma is exactly the same. “And you are like this star, Kenma. And your eyes are like the night sky, our lucky boy,”

Kenma simply smiles fondly at the memory and as he flipped the last page, he noticed an old character from the last dialogue and dwelled on it.

“I _will_ love you again,” it says.

_“I will love you all over again,”_

Kenma remembers the dream yet again, as he closed the book. He tucks it in one of the free spaces and his new bookshelf before he returned to his games, finally reaching the boss level after hours of gaming.

*** 

Kuroo stopped at the intersection in his neighborhood where a waiting shed stands. He looks at the time and noticed that he still has time to spare before going to school, then looks up to the sky to notice the pink hue and the light of dawn slowly creeping, an indication that today is going to be a great day. He is going to be a third-year student and he’s not going to let himself fall behind now; he needs to start thinking about his future.

Kuroo breathes in the fresh scent of sakura, a rare smell in the morning before smoke replaces them. He let himself go for a little while, relishing the feeling of how good everything seems to come together. Kuroo woke up that morning, oddly refreshed and somewhat motivated. Breakfast was great and the shower feels great too. Stepping outside the house also felt like the best thing that has ever happened to him. He doesn’t seem bothered by it but since he left their yard, all that he could think of was what could have inspired him.

It is an inspiration, right?

His phone vibrated to see he has received a message from his best friend in another school, Bokuto Koutarou.

“ _There’s a lot of new kids here at my school. I bet we’ll have new talents for our volleyball team and we’ll sure kick your nekoma ass when we do_ ”

“Bro, none of them will be able to handle your emo tho lol,” he replies.

“ _BRO_ ,” Kuroo chuckles lightly at the message. “ _They will be delighted that they are teammates with the one and only Bokuto,_ ”

“No they won’t,”

_“Yes they will, since I ranked top 5 last year! And it’s a streak!”_

“Yet you’re still bottom 5 at math. But it’s ok, I accept u <3 u r valid <3” Kuroo replies, snickering as he pressed send.

_“Stupid, how many times do I have to say it’s not bottom 5 since I passed the grade,”_

“Barely,”

_“Ugh whatever, we’re going to have new cool recruits coming, and the team will be great,”_

“Sure, whatever you say, Owl face. I sense the same for my team” Kuroo starts typing rapidly upon remembering something.

“I heard Yamada-san is opening a new ramen house somewhere between Nekoma and Fukurodani, we should check it out. I still got the four coupons with me” he adds, briefly recalling that time when he accidentally took two more of these when he was only supposed to keep two.

“ _Ramen for dinner? Hell yEAH! But of course, you’re in charge of the bills tho LMAO_ ,” Kuroo cringes at the memory of a lost bet.

He remembers clearly how he started to get close with Bokuto, the time he managed to mess up back in their first year on Fukurodani Founders day. When he was challenged by Bokuto to an athletic contest to which he lost, it was a close call for the both of them but the grey spiky-haired one pushed hard enough. But since that day, they would get into these ridiculous bets that eventually turned their friendship into something more than just two volleyball rivals hanging out.

To other people, it would seem normal and likely, considering there are many things they have in common and that they basically share the same brain cell. If these two idiots are in one place, who knows what kind of chaos they can create. Many people have expressed how much they envy their friendship. Something that felt like it was meant to be since they’re like a pair made by the stars. The two didn’t bother listening to what others think since what’s important to them is that they’re having fun. They still are. They only met back in their first year, but somehow, it was as if they’ve known each other for a long time now.

“Finee, text me if something comes up,” Kuroo replies and noticed that he’s going to be late if he keeps waiting for nothing. He started walking with his eyes on the phone as he waits for Bokuto to reply.

Kuroo and Bokuto may only be friends for 3 years but they have gone through a lot, volleyball or outside volleyball. They normally hang out every weekend on school days, sometimes as a duo or with a few friends. Bokuto once admits that it gets a little boring when they only have each other who understands them on a deep personal level, to which Kuroo agrees to.

‘But do you think there’s someone out there meant to be part of our circle or something?’ Kuroo recalls the memory of that conversation.

‘Yeah, I believe there’s someone for us out there. I found my bro-soulmate–that’s you by the way–and maybe we also have a lover soulmate of sorts and you could find yours too,’ he still remembers the words of his grey-headed friend that went out of the point of that conversation.

For a second, he asked himself why he would think about that specific memory when all he was thinking about just a while ago was about how Kuroo is supposed to succeed in his third year.

‘ _I’ll text u in an instant if I have to. Brb, we gotta plan to who’s going to give out fliers for the club,’_ Kuroo reads. He looks up from his phone, seeing that the sky is now brighter, the pink hue replaced by the blue sky that indicates how high the sun is up at the minute.

The raven-haired third year simply continued walking. The once unnoticeable light feeling in his chest growing minute by minute upon arriving at school…

*** 

“Kuroo-kun, we have a new recruit, a setter from America,” Yaku, Kuroo’s close friend since his first year, hands him a paper of application and Kuroo takes it as he scans the paper, noticing how this _American_ ’s writing seems to be good. Maybe he could be learning it before they moved here?

“From America? But the name Akaashi Keiji doesn’t sound American to me,” Kuroo replies as he folds the paper in half and tucks it with the rest of the folded application papers in his notebook.

“Well, according to this guy, he’s full Japanese and moved to America when he was a kid and moved back just recently. He’s a second-year by the way,” Yaku replies as he headed to his seat, just a few chairs in front of Kuroo. ‘Well that explains it,’ he thought to himself.

“Have you seen him play?” Kuroo asks. Of course, as a captain, this is an information important for him to know.

“Yeah, just this morning actually. He told me he was once a regular in his old school. He’s pretty good if you ask me,” Kuroo then nods in approval. An opinion from their libero himself sometimes proves them correct and it’s enough for Kuroo to be convinced. Then all that’s left is to see it for himself then.

Classes went by a little fast, just a series of endless ‘introduce yourselves’ and reminders for the third-years to start thinking about their future. Like Kuroo needs a reminder for that, he’s already been planning what he would do in the future. Study like hell and take the exam for the university in Kyoto that he’s been dreaming of going since he was a kid. Though, he’s stuck between the choices of taking Forensic Science or Business.

Kuroo then glances at the window beside him, (cheers for him to snag a window seat) as he contemplates, briefly remembering his father’s words saying that he should wait for what will dawn on him, what could be how he sees himself in the future. Then his grandmother would scold his son to make him think a little more seriously because they all want what’s best for their little Tetsurou. Kuroo smiles at that memory and put his attention back on the front.

_‘Now that I think about it, what do I want to be in the future?’_

*** 

“I’m looking forward to a great performance of the Nekoma Volleyball team in your hands this year,” Coach smiled at the young raven head, patting his shoulder, and the rest of the team cheers for him. “Captain will bring us to the Nationals this year!” He hears Yamamoto’s voice across the gym. “Oh, so he is the captain?” another voice says with its voice laced with genuine curiosity. “Yes, he is our captain, Lev. Keep up,” Yaku replies to the tall half-Russian, Lev.

After both the coaches leave the building while the rest of the players clean up, Kuroo’s eyes landed on the new kid. Just right on the first day of club recruitment, there’s already 2 new talented recruits and Kuroo isn’t surprised since they are indeed a powerhouse after all, recruiting new good players isn’t a problem but there is something about a transferee from a different country who decided to join a volleyball team and shows great talent and skills. Like, where has he been all his high school life.

Kuroo recalls back to this person’s introduction, he wasn’t really that shy. The surprise was evident to every each and one of the players when they hear him speak fluent Japanese considering they assumed him to speak in English or just simply with an English accent. He was a little reserved, but there was confidence in his tone which adds to his charms. This person’s charms… Kuroo doesn’t want to believe that a man could ever be _that_ beautiful because it seemed impossible.

Well, that is until he met Akaashi Keiji.

He’s a great player and a chill person, he’s not going to lie and he’s looking forward to playing with him for the rest of the year. Kuroo then began walking towards Akaashi and the young setter simply looks up to him (considering their height difference), with those eyes shining, almost throwing Kuroo off.

“Akaashi, right?” Kuroo says with a welcoming smirk.

“And you are our captain, Kuroo Tetsurou?” Akaashi asks in confirmation. “The one and only, so you only moved from America since…?”

“Since last 2 weeks, the timing of the vacation was off,” Akaashi replies, as he picks up the stray balls around him and Kuroo automatically helps by pushing the cart near him. “Wait, so you’re saying you only had a week to adjust to the culture?”

“I don’t need adjustment since I used to live here before and my parents did their best to preserve the culture back in the US,” Akaashi replies as he tosses the stray balls one by one to Kuroo and he puts it back in the cart. “What about routes and directions, seems like you’ll need help for those,” There was a pause between the two.

“Well, yes I suppose,”

“Cool, you’re in luck since I can help you show you around so you wouldn’t get lost if you ever want to hang out,” Kuroo smiles. “Thank you for that, Kuroo-san” Akaashi smiles back. For a while, time seems to freeze…

_“You’re the only person I could trust between the 2 of you,”_

Kuroo shakes his head to fend off the fly that landed on his nose. _That’s weird_.

Like a reflex, his mouth opened, “My friend and I are going to check out this new Ramen House, you should come with. You know, to taste our culture once again from its roots and such” Kuroo suggests, his eyes widen in surprise to what just came out of his mouth and mentally slaps himself to suddenly just ask a _stranger_ to go dinner with him and his best friend.

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” There it is again. The pause felt like an eternity for Kuroo. It was only him trying to figure out what kind of situation he’s making for the future. ‘Oh no, what if Bokuto will be weirded out or something?’ his mind races, feeling the slight panic in the bottom of his stomach. But in some way, it feels as if he planned for this to happen. Or was it like a pre-planned thing of the universe?

Whatever it is, he wants to know.

“Sure. I would like that, thank you for the invitation,” _oh cool._ He wasn’t expecting that at all. Kuroo titters unnoticeably, keeping his composure firm, that is until it seemed to crash down all at an instant upon meeting Akaashi’s eyes once again.

“ _And I owe you my life as a thank you,” for the first time, he briefly sees his smile under the icy exterior…_

Kuroo wasn’t expecting to hear him accept, since… They’re just strangers to each other, or are they? To him, it felt like an impulse for him to just invite this specific person to go to dinner with them. It’s not likely for something like this to happen too, but this isn’t the first time this happened. Well, the invitation to dinner part, that is.

Maybe he thinks he’s just making sure this person feels comfortable in this new environment or such. Like he needs to be welcoming as much as possible, he already is with his kouhais and other transferees before but this just seems _different…_

“Akaashi! Come over here!” Yamamoto, from afar calls. Akaashi looks up to Kuroo and bows respectfully. “Excuse me for a bit,” He says before jogging towards the direction Yamamoto. Kuroo let out a relieved breath that somehow was stuck in his chest for a while.

‘This day felt scripted,’ Kuroo thought, pushing the cart back to the storage room after collecting all the stray balls, shaking his head to snap himself back to focus. Kuroo pulled out his phone to give Bokuto a heads up on the sudden invitation only to see Bokuto already spammed him.

Kuroo opens one of the messages and after reading it, a laugh suddenly escapes his lips.

‘What a weird coincidence…’

He ran his hand through his head as he reads the message again: “ _BRO, we have a new setter and he’s pretty good and I just invited him for our ramen dinner coz he’s new around the area. He’s cool too,_ ”

‘Now this is getting oddly interesting now,’ he thinks to himself as he types his reply.

Just this morning he remembers a specific memory about how boring it feels with only him and Bokuto. Oh, what luck may have befallen him to this week. He simply wished for his third year to great, and maybe it starts with Bokuto’s happiness that Kuroo wants for him.

Kuroo then replies: “Same bro,”

At least there’s use to the extra coupons he grabbed...

*** 

Kenma was supposed to be uncomfortable with a noisy companion, but he can’t help but think that he’s with a dyed-grey hair third-year version of Shoyo. He’s not supposed to feel comfortable at the abnormal amount of attention he’s getting from a single person he just met on the first week of his new school. Bokuto Koutarou is his name. Kenma is still trying to figure out how he was managed to be pulled to eat ramen with his best friend that is a stranger to Kenma and the fact that they are on their way there right now…

Kenma’s mind the whole morning was only consisted of Shoyo’s voice reminding him to rejoin volleyball and it didn’t leave his poor mind until he took a flier to one of the stands that says ‘Join Fukurodani Volleyball Club _and become teammates with Japan’s top 5 Ace_ ’. Kenma studied the application paper and carefully put details of personal info and reasons to join the club. As he passes the form, an obnoxious greeting pulled him out of his headspace, making him flinch at the presence of a large senpai appearing suddenly in front of him.

“Hey! Hey! HEY! Are you a new student? I haven’t seen you around! You’re joining the club? AWESOME!” Kenma’s first impression of this person: Extremely loud, probably gets emotional easily. Well, probably.

Bokuto immediately pulled Kenma to practice after classes had ended and met the whole team, which is far different from the volleyball team he was in before back in his old school. At that moment, he felt at ease at least. From that practice, they noticed how decent Kenma plays but not enough to play as a regular though, that is only until they played a match, with Kenma’s team winning all the sets they played, leaving the young semi-blonde tired, a little hungry, and having proved himself. But the day was rather fulfilling since it’s been long enough since he felt a little alive by moving around in the court and using his strategic gaming skills to use, and of course his own brushes of luck.

Kenma was thinking he had enough noisy Bokuto in one day, he was super wrong.

“Hey, Kozume-kun!” Bokuto walks towards him, with his voice finally a little quieter. Kenma looks in his direction to see the third-year’s warm smile, his expression looking a bit apologetic. “It’s really cool that you’re going to be in the team from then on and I apologize if I made you feel uncomfortable today, I just get too excited sometimes,” The third-year spiker smiles warmly as he scratches the back of his neck.

If Kenma was to recap his whole encounter with Bokuto, he feels as if it goes a long way. It’s not really weird for him since moments like this when he meets new people isn’t really common. But if this were a different person, he thinks it would be impossible to even try to connect with them even how much effort that person exerts. Bokuto could be that person, but why hasn’t he tried to fend him off from his personal life then?

It’s like something is pulling his existence to his life, like some sort of magnetic attraction or something fate or coincidence type of pull. _That’s just plain cheesy._

Kenma puts on a genuine expression and replies, “It’s alright Bokuto-san. It was pretty cool of you to rope me into practice since I figured I might not even show up at practice eventually,” his voice slowly turning into a mumble but it was still audible enough for Bokuto to hear.

“Oh, is that so? Why would you not join the practice? Volleyball is fun,”

Kenma’s mind lingers to the memory of his old volleyball team but it was quickly replaced by the memory of the recent match that they consecutively won. “I didn’t think I’d be able to be useful for the team,”

“Of course, you are! You were cool a while ago with how you predicted the opponent’s movement and-oh my gosh the dump shot too! You pulled that stunt so sneakily and because of that, we won a lot of times and your sets are so easy to spike,” Bokuto exclaims with a lot of enthusiasm. “Don’t start thinking that you have no purpose or real reason to join the club. You probably were told to join, but you’re still here, (“Well, it’s the first day of practice,” Kenma mumbles) and maybe one day you’ll realize the real reason you joined the team,” Bokuto pats Kenma’s back with a wide grin.

Kenma blinks at him and the feeling of familiarity suddenly filled his chest. _That was nice._

Kenma smiles back and Bokuto was caught off guard by that view and basically squealed, “Kozume-chan! You are adorable,” Bokuto ruffles his kouhai’s hair in adoration. Bokuto checks his watch and smiles, “You should join us for ramen, Kozume-nyan! My best friend is treating and he owes me a lot and I want to treat you too,”

“Maybe I sho-,” Kenma was about to decline but he was immediately cut off by this loud owl.

“I already told Kuroo-kun! Man, we’re going to have a blast this year since you’re going to be in the team now,” Kenma cringes internally, thinking about how embarrassing this is going to be. “Don’t worry Kozume-kun. You mentioned that you’re new to this area, right? Allow me to show you around as your senpai, and also you should try their specialty ramen here in this area, it’s really good,”

Kenma cringes yet again, maybe not because of the anticipation of the embarrassment, maybe it was because he never had the chance to acknowledge anyone older than him as _senpai._

_“Ah the Prince…”_

Kenma visibly flinches at that weird memory. The feeling of familiarity taking over his chest like it’s some kind of liquor coursing through his chest down his stomach, Kenma couldn’t do anything to stop the feeling until it just stopped. “Thank you for that Bokuto-san,” Kenma simply replies, his mind coming back to the thought of seeing Bokuto as someone of a higher up. Like he couldn’t refuse at all.

“If you’re worried that it’s too much, don’t worry! I don’t really do this for a lot of people I just met but you’re an exception,” Bokuto says, “Maybe because there’s something cool and awesome about you, or maybe because you’re adorable,”

There it is again, Kenma can’t explain the feeling now but it just makes him think that he’s probably tired. He _is_ tired, and he definitely knows the feeling of fatigue well enough to be recognizable. But is he really tired? Or just maybe it’s just his body reminding him of the feeling of embarrassment to prepare for what’s about to happen. Maybe something else?

Kenma just shakes his head to escape this certain headspace. Bokuto was already on his way out of the young setter’s personal space… 

Kenma’s thought was interrupted by the smell of garlic broth and seaweeds as they entered the Ramen House. Bokuto was basically drooling at the sight of the bowls on the counter waiting to be served. The house was full, as expected since it’s supposed to be new. Kenma keeps thinking back to how he ended up with the team’s ace for ramen on the first week of school.

But it wasn’t that bad, Kenma would be lying if he said he didn’t feel his stomach growling. Apple pie may be his favorite but ramen just hits different.

“So, Kozume-kun. How did you start playing volleyball by the way?” This wasn’t the first question he asked on the way there. Kenma shifts his bag, fiddling a bit with his fingers, “Back when I was a kid, Shoyo introduced me to volleyball,” Kenma says trying not to stutter too much, wishing to find a booth immediately, he couldn’t handle the crowd near the entrance.

“This Shoyo fellow must be good at volleyball for you to be cool at it,”

“He’s not,” Kenma replies flatly, he could faintly hear Shoyo’s whine of defense at the back of his head.

“Well, I mean, he still got to work more on his receives and serves. But yeah, he’s fairly good at it and he can jump super high and run super-fast,” Kenma adds, his eyes landing on an empty spot on the corner and he immediately points at it. Bokuto follows Kenma’s arm to see the empty table that was waiting to be occupied. “That’s a good spot! Good eye, Kozume,” Bokuto ruffles Kenma’s hair for the nth time now.

As they walk towards the booth, Kenma couldn’t help but feel like something big is about to happen.

‘Probably something cringe-worthy. Lucky, someone charged my Playstation for me,’ he thinks.

*** 

“This place seems… nice,” Akaashi says as he follows Kuroo in the entrance of the already packed Ramen House. “You’re going to like it here. Yamada-san makes the best ramen in the whole city,”

Kuroo glances at his phone screen to check which corner Bokuto was referring to.

‘If you see a blonde and a grey hair, you’re going on the right way,’ it says. Kuroo kept his eyes peeled as he scans through the crowd, looking for a blonde and a grey-headed idiot that he knew all too well. Then why does it seem impossible to find such a familiar detail in a cramped place like this?

Akaashi lightly taps on the third-year and he looks at the young setter to see that he’s pointing in a direction that he hasn’t checked yet. His eyes followed his pointing finger to see a very Bokuto speaking with the blonde… no, a pudding head that he believes is the one this wing spiker brought to join dinner with them.

Now that Kuroo thinks about it, it should be weird for the two of them to just bring strangers to hang out with them. Well, these strangers are new to the area and they don’t know who these people are and it sure doesn’t hurt to make a new friend or two.

It’s Bokuto he’s worried about since he’s the type who gets overexcited and tends to pull anyone, he thinks who is interesting in his life without warning. This happened before but it would eventually upset him in the end considering the person would think their company is too much for them to take. If Kuroo were to describe him, he’s like an unstable void trying to suck anyone in who he thinks are interesting. And for 3 years of knowing Bokuto, he hasn’t seen one person except himself to see how to contain and stabilize such a big burst of energy. But setting aside personalities, Kuroo just did what Bokuto would do, rope someone with him on _impulse_.

Well, seeing Bokuto with pudding head, he seems relaxed and alright. Kuroo feels relief at that detail. Now he thinks about how he’s going to make sure Akaashi feels welcomed.

“So, this must be your friend, Bokuto?” Akaashi asks as he follows Kuroo, walking carefully to get through the end of the day without a disaster unfolding (simply getting through the cramped space), not when there are new people they’re entertaining as of the moment. “Yeah, he’s really awesome,” Kuroo replies and noticed that Bokuto finally spotted them and was already on his feet to greet his best friend that he hasn’t seen for weeks.

“Kuroo Bro! HEY! HEY! HEY!” Bokuto has his arms already spread with a wide grin and Kuroo cackles as he mirrored his action and meets him halfway, bro hugging considering it’s been months since they last saw each other. Kuroo pats his back before they part. “Bro, you got taller” Bokuto remarks.

“Well, I’m a growing boy. Look at you, ‘been working out?”

“Please, it’s all volleyball. But yeah, I’m pulling weights and such. BY THE WAY, meet our setter, Kozume-san” Bokuto glances behind him as Kuroo follows Bokuto’s glance and briefly remembers his own guest as well. Kuroo turns to see Akaashi who is simply standing there, looking like he just saw a miracle or something but it was immediately changed right after he noticed Kuroo looking his way.

Akaashi tentatively steps forward to stand beside his senpai as Bokuto turns to beckon both to come over the booth. “He’s really energetic, as always. Hope you like listening,” Kuroo says scratching the back of his neck as Akaashi simply nods and politely smiles, both of them heading towards the booth. Akaashi taking the seat next to the pudding head (As Kuroo describes) and Kuroo took his time to take his bag off to his side.

“And you must be Akaashi, nice to meet you!”

“Nice to meet you too, Bokuto-san,”

As the scene unfolds before him, Kuroo manages to settle down and face their guests in a polite manner. Suddenly, everything seems to slow down when…

A pair of golden eyes meet his hazel orbs,

Kuroo swore he saw stars in the eyes of this stranger in front of him…

**END OF CHAPTER 1**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked it. I apologize if there are some grammatical errors or some typos or just some few sentences that didn't make sense, well it's because english is not my first language. I worked on this alone so editing is kinda tiring... ANYWAY, I'll be updating every week and I'm excited to unfold the story chapter by chapter.
> 
> And please note that this is a Kuroken centric story. It's focused on how their relationship grow and how they got close and fell in love too. But there's also slight mystery, slight drama or angst(?) and slight bokuaka side plot that you might like more, i think.. just wait and see and tune in!
> 
> thank you for taking your time to read the notes and see you next week.


	2. Somewhere in Osaka

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kuroo recalls a memory from 4 years ago to figure out where he could have seen those golden eyes.
> 
> ***
> 
> Daishou Suguru was introduced as the heir to the HEBI family to an important family member of their clan. This moment came to him as a flashback upon stumbling on a realization that connected a few dots.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I haven't thoroughly edited this chapter and there's only slight kuroken content on this part. This chapter is written for the plot, I hope you'll like it >v<

**_4 years ago. Somewhere in Osaka._ **

“Tetsurou, she is still your mother…” Grandma Kuroo told his third-year middle schooler grandson who is currently pushing both sides of the pillow to sandwich his head in an attempt to block whatever his grandmother is saying. As far as Tetsurou is concerned, he doesn’t want to hear anything about the person that left their family (lies).

“Tetsu,” His grandmother sighs as she runs her hand lovingly through the young raven’s hair. “She left because she did what’s best for you,”

“Oba-san, why would be leaving be best for someone?” Tetsurou turns his head to the side to take a peek from his pillow. “It depends on each person, Tetsu. If your mom would have stayed then you would suffer from the pain their misunderstandings can cause.”

Tetsu only returns to the comfort of the pillow. “And right now, she also needs you and I won’t be wrong if you say you need her too.”

Tetsurou only sighs and pauses for a while. “Oba-san, Tokyo is too far…” he mumbles through the pillow, and his grandmother giggles softly, _a sound he might not hear for a long time if he does move to Tokyo._

In all honesty, Kuroo is actually excited to see and live with his mother again, to get to know her all over again too. It’s been 7 years since the incident anyway, time heals and he believes that his mother is one that holds on to something dear to her, like Tetsurou for example. Tetsurou is the same too.

But what makes him don’t want to go was because of how he will miss the family he was with for almost 14 years now. Thinking that his choices might lead to this break being the last year he’ll ever spend with his grandparents. Because who knows after high school, he might be focusing on his studies and volleyball that he won’t find time to go back to Osaka. Thinking about this makes him anxious considering he promised his old childhood friends Oikawa and Iwaizumi that he’ll visit Miyagi, his old home, from time to time but it never happened. (what’s to return to anyway…)

“Don’t worry too much about how far it is. We’re just a train ride away” His grandmother says caressing his hair lovingly in assurance.

*** 

“Man, of all the places you picked, it had to be the museum,”

Tetsurou was walking behind his group of friends as he looks at every piece of history with sheer interest. His friends complained at how idle the day seems to be going, but to Tetsurou, man, the young boy was having a great time reading every plaque.

“What? The museum is fun! Just look at all this stuff from our past, isn’t this great? Just look at Kuroo-kun,”

“I just wanna go to the amusement park,”

“You’re no fun,”

“No, you,”

“This is why you fail history,” Kuroo smirks, followed by simultaneous snickers.

“I never failed anything!”

“He getting that straight D’s though,” (“Dude, how is it straight when it’s homo,”)

“Our grading system doesn’t work that way,”

Kuroo simply ignores his friends’ banters as he walked forward, reading plaques after plaques while taking a look at the display until he reaches the end of the line leading to another room of history. Kuroo turns to his friends, “I’m going to check out this room, anyone wanna come with?” He asked, his friends who caught his attention turned to him as they paused their banter.

“Nah, we’re good. We’ll see you around the main section,”

“Sure,” Kuroo bids before disappearing into the well-lit room, filled with more displays and plaques. Some pictures are familiar to Kuroo as well, since he’s a good student who listens intently to history class, it’s no surprise that he knows half of the myths plastered on the wall.

Half only, after all, the room he entered was dedicated to the lost myths and legends that are struggling to be remembered. Kuroo looks to his sides to notice he was the only person inside the room. He walks over to face each framed picture on the wall then reads what’s written on the plaque. Some stories are not recognizable, in consideration of it being called one of the lost myths and legends of their history. Kuroo simply repeats the process as he goes to the next frame and repeats and repeats it.

It is indeed interesting, all of the new things he just discovered and wondered how come some of these stories are considered forgotten, waiting to be realized once again, when they tell such great stories of the past. The stories he just read are indeed captivating but they are called lost for a reason. These old legends can be forgotten in a few years or so. To say the least, it will be forever preserved in this place of memories. Kuroo shivers at the thought, _imagine being forgotten after a long time and pass on with no one to preserve proofs of your existence…_

Kuroo passes a few pictures and finally came across the last one he noticed. The picture, or the painting rather, looked really old and _familiar._

Kuroo comes closer to it. The painting consists of a cat, no… it’s a mountain cat of the western world, with a… star? Kuroo raises a brow as confusion takes over his thoughts. He instinctively searched for the plaque and noticed how short the written information was on it. Kuroo heads closer towards the plaque.

“The legend of the Yamaneko. A myth about a thief tasked to end a special being’s life with a special katana. Yamaneko was unsuccessful as they, instead, fell in love with their target. They were never granted a happy ending for this special being, an Embodiment of a star who brings luck wherever they go, ended up being hunted.” Kuroo mutters, reciting what’s written.

He was never disappointed in anything he reads until now, looking at how the story ended like that just now. “That’s it?” He looks up the framed painting in wonder.

The more he looks at it, the more he seems to understand the painting. He wasn’t sure if his eyes were tricking him or if the painting was supposed to trick his eyes. Kuroo then slowly takes a few steps back as he tries to look at the painting from a different perspective.

For a moment, Kuroo gasps in awe as he realizes what he’s seeing. The mountain cat looks like it’s part of a person’s face while the star was in the other person’s (in the painting) eyes. It was a rather romantic painting. Like two people gazing into each other’s eyes.

Looking at the framed painting, he felt as if he’s looking at something remarkable but somewhat inaccurate. He tilts his head to check if there is something wrong with the painting but there’s none. He’s no art critic to say that there’s a single flaw in the painting, there could be but at that time, he’s more focused on what seems to be wrong on what’s painted.

_Yamaneko has golden eyes… not hazel brown._

Kuroo shrugs the thought off his head before continuing on his repeated process but something catches his eyes. Not another painting, but something that seemed out of place. Kuroo’s eyes travel to the foreign object in the room as he forgets all about the rest of the displays.

Kuroo picks it up. _It’s an open journal_.

‘I shouldn’t be snooping around something that isn’t mine”

“Why is it unattended?” Kuroo mutters to himself as he looks around for a potential owner, only to realize that he has been alone in the room all this time. Kuroo hums as he opens the journal to see it seems like an old journal, kept for a few decades now.

The young raven head carefully turns the first page to see the written characters in the old language. Kuroo furrows his brow to express his confusion whilst trying to read the characters with his current knowledge of the old Japanese writing system.

“Property of…” Kuroo manages to read the first characters.

His eyes then linger at the rest of the page to see that there’s actually a modern Japanese translation note on the paper.

“Yamaneko?” He finishes, his eyes darted up to the plaque after the realization of reading the same word.

Somehow, at that moment, Kuroo couldn’t help but feel a little nostalgic. Like the name was something he held dear before, a name that he was so used to hearing that it annoyed him to the point of hunting him down himself, a name that he never expected he’d mutter to his _last breath with passion._

Kuroo unconsciously lets out a chuckle, which snaps him out of a daze. He closes the book with care. ‘This could be museum property’ he thought as he walks in the direction of the lost and found office.

But not long before he arrives at his destination, his phone rang, giving him instant anxiety that he couldn’t explain. He picks it up to see that his father was calling him. _He rarely calls…_

Kuroo answered the call and pressed the phone to his ear as he held the book to himself closely.

“Tetsurou… your grandpa had a stroke,”

Kuroo thought he was wasting time so he ran as fast as he could…

*** 

“Is grandpa going to be okay?” Kuroo asks through the phone, his father sighs in relief. “Yes, he will be alright. But he needs to stay in the hospital for a little while. Will you be ok alone in the house?”

Kuroo looks around his room, thinking how he’s going to say ‘yes’.

After receiving the call that morning sent him into a spiral of panic, he rushed immediately to the hospital where the rest of his family was waiting. He thought that the breakfast he had with his grandfather was the last time he’ll ever see him again, but thanks to his prayers, it wasn’t, everything is alright now.

“Yes. I’ll be ok,” Kuroo replies, returning to his open notebook. “Alright. I’ll return in the morning ok?”

Kuroo hums in response. “Also, don’t forget to feed the cat,” Kuroo nods, “Sure dad. Take care of gramps,”

The call ended. Kuroo pushes himself out of the chair before heading downstairs to see the family cat already fast asleep on the couch. The third-year yawns before going through the cupboards to get the cat food and pour some on the cat’s bowl.

The sound was enough for the cat to spring on its feet before running towards the direction of Kuroo pouring more than enough on the little creature’s bowl. The cat meowed in delight as he purred on Kuroo’s legs before digging in. The only comfort from a living being he will get as of the moment.

Kuroo pet the preoccupied cat, watching it eat. “Seems like you have nothing to worry about since you’re just lazing around the house while humans feed you regularly,”

The cat meows back. “You adorable little neko,” Kuroo pats the cat with light aggression (just to show how much the cat makes him feel soft inside) and stands up to head back to his room.

“Neko, neko, neko,” The raven head runs his mouth upon entering his room.

He sits down to continue studying, somehow his mind drifts to something different than his studies, which is now annoyingly distracting to him.

Time seems to pass a little slow as he tries to get through every paragraph in his book and it is starting to stress him out. He finally drops his pen with a little expression of annoyance as he rummages in his bag to look for his calculator, only to come across a somewhat familiar figure in his bag.

_Ah, the source of the thought_

Kuroo carefully pulls out the journal he accidentally stole that morning, seeing that parts of it are wrinkled and its pages all over the place because of him shoving it inside his bag before running with adrenaline pushing him.

He clears his table before putting the journal on the table, trying to find a way to fix this in chronological order. Putting papers in the order of the numbers written on the top side of each page. ‘How the hell am I going to return this in this condition,’ Kuroo thinks, piling pages with extreme care, following the order.

Kuroo’s mind thinks back to the times he piles clothes with his grandparents on a lazy afternoon. The radio would be on or the TV if anything is interesting to watch and they would be in that one room, with the awareness of each other, the comfort of the company present. He simply smiles at the memory and continues with his work.

The only sounds present were the distant rain of spring and cicadas conquering the silence of the night. The flipping of pages adds to the ambiance, enough for Kuroo to feel slightly drowsy.

As he continues to check pages, he turns one and saw a paper that looks completely different from the rest. It’s not writing nor a blank page, it’s a painted portrait of a person and it looks so real. Kuroo stops in his tracks, putting all of his attention to the page of the portrait that could have been undiscovered if he didn’t look into every page of this ridiculously thick journal.

He isolated the portrait from the pile of pages and took a better look at it under the lamp.

It was a very pretty person, a man to be exact. The man has long dark locks, and his eyes were golden. His features can easily be mistaken as feminine. The man in the portrait was wearing a dark blue yukata (as shown on his top) and he was holding a katana on his right hand to his chest. He couldn’t be a samurai… Kuroo thought. _An assassin perhaps?_

It is amazing how a probably decades-old painting was made with its fine details still recognizable. After appreciating the painting, Kuroo’s eyes laid upon the portrait's face. For a second, he couldn’t help but think that he has seen this person before.

His heart clenches somehow, but he didn’t mind it at first. Just looking at this portrait made him feel emotions he never felt before. Kuroo turns on his chair to put the portrait under the direct light of the lamp to take a better look.

At that moment, his mind shifts to an image of what this person could look like if he were real. His vision blurs, not realizing that his eyes were already watering for a distant memory that wasn’t even his…

Kuroo pauses for a moment, not pulling his gaze from the old portrait.

*** 

_“The fall is the only season I can appreciate you. Red is your color, after all, pink only makes you look out of place,” His voice was as still as the calm seas but his statement felt like waves crashing onto Tetsurou’s pride. The raven head rolls his eyes as he smirks._

_“For a second there, I thought you’re ready to finally realize your feelings for me,” Tetsurou leans to his side where the infamous killer stands. Leveling his gaze to the young assassin’s face, seeing that he was already turning red._

_Tetsurou lightly laughs, standing straight up, turning his gaze back to the view of the lake in front of them, surrounded by autumn trees. After all the months they’ve been through by each other’s sides, it never fails to amaze the raven head to see how a man with a reserved personality has a lot of sides that are still yet to be shown to the world._

_As a matter of fact, Tetsurou has seen these sides before and it warms his heart that a once enemy of his trusts him enough to let himself be vulnerable around one of the people he was sworn to eliminate. Nonetheless, all of those bitter things are behind them now, the falling golden leaves of the autumn trees symbolize how it’s time to let go of the past and prepare to face the future._

_But as of the moment, Tetsurou is not yet ready to hear what his partner’s heart’s about to say, even though his composure doesn’t seem like it’s about to fall apart any second._

_“My feelings for you have nothing to do with the seasons,” Tetsurou's heart leaped for a second, he thought his stomach was going to get trampled by the overwhelming unease he is feeling after those words. ‘Maybe it has nothing to do with anything at all, or does he even have those feelings for me?’_

_His arm almost flailed when he attempts to clear his throat with his balled fist to regain his almost fallen composure. He suddenly felt eyes gazing before him, obviously from this certain someone who is waiting for his reply._

_Tetsurou returns his hand to his back, gripping the fingers of his other hand before managing to form a reply “Oh so you **do** have feelings for me,” He manages to say with the best smirk he can give at that moment. Looking straight to those beautiful golden eyes that he will never get tired of seeing._

_The younger one blinks at him, immediately turning away, his face evidently shifting from his usual neutral expression to something of his sides Tetsurou has never seen before. His face shifts, like its cold exterior melting into something soft. His cheeks slowly tint to the hues similar to the color of the autumn forest before them. And the part that threw Tetsurou off was when this usually composed assassin fiddles with the fabric of the side of his yukata. “Well, yes…”_

_Indeed, a side Tetsurou has never seen before, it makes the uneasiness in his stomach feel like something easy to digest._

_“It is only natural for someone like me to have certain feelings towards someone like you. After all, you are one the first person to ever defeat me in c-combat,” The younger one accidentally stutters, making him flinch to complete stillness. Tetsurou notices, but he simply lets out a chuckle and smiles._

_“You don’t have to deny anything… I’m pretty sure you have strayed away from your point by trying to avoid it,” He turns to his side, tucking the other’s long dark strands behind his ear to get a good look at his now flushed face. This could be the moment where he opens his heart too, even though it’s unclear for him but he feels as if it’s his task to do so. “…Kenma, I appreciate you in fall too…” he adds, gently cupping both of the young assassin’s cheeks, their gazes meet. Taking a deep breath, as this moment could be that scene that would ruin the friendship he worked hard enough to build between them._

_It is unlikely, he hopes, but this is an opportunity he’s not going to pass by again. Tetsurou’s chest warms with a soft feeling._

_“I appreciate you in winter, in spring, and summer. No matter what season it is, even if you only appreciate me in fall, nothing will change the fact that you are the most beautiful thing that caught my eye.”_

_Kenma’s expression changed as it was his turn to laugh, his smile outshining the glistening lake before them and this warms Tetsurou’s heart a thousand more, “Tetsurou…”_

_At that moment, time seemed to freeze between them. Like the falling leaves still on the air, the breeze too and the sun’s ray directed at them through the shades of the tree. With Tetsurou’s palms pressed on the warms cheeks of Kenma, and both their gazes fixated on each other._

_“If you’re still afraid, don’t worry. I am here, I’ll be waiting for you until you are ready.”_

_Kenma’s eyes sparkled as he smiles._

_“I can’t keep you waiting, I guess I am just holding on to something that already passed,”_

_This is it, Tetsurou thought. Both of their chests thumping, trying to contain their hearts that are yearning for each other. He lets his hands fall as Kenma holds them both with his hands falling to their sides. The pause ended with both of them speaking in unison._

_“Our lunch?”_

_“I adore you, Tetsu- NO, you ruined the moment!” Kenma palms Tetsurou’s face, finally giving in to the embarrassment that threatened to take over his body, squirming around._

_A fond memory to keep close to heart… Tetsurou thinks._

Kuroo’s eyes open, the train stopping at a station, adding more people inside the cabin. He simply yawns as he clutches his bag closer to his chest as he leans his head to the window, checking out the view of the outside from his eye level.

It’s almost been a week since he’ accidentally stole’ a journal that wasn’t museum property after all. Upon fixing the final page, he noticed that there was an identification seal at the back with the printed characters: HEBI FAMILY. Lucky enough, contact info was also attached which made it easier for the third-year to come in contact with the owner and finally return this certain something that wasn’t his.

Kuroo checks his phone if there were messages from his father about the condition of his grandfather but there were none. He sighs and thinks about how he’s supposed to go to Tokyo if he couldn’t take care of his family from there. But his mother is also a family that he needs to take care of too, which comes as a small dilemma for young Kuroo.

The decision came to a final when his mother called the Kuroo household for the first time in months, expressing how much she misses her son. Was Kuroo supposed to be mad? Since the person that left them just suddenly comes back to his life (but it should be worse when they pretended nothing bad happened, right?). Kuroo simply acknowledges her and hums as responses, as a reminder that the person that she is about to reconnect with was someone she left that cared so much before.

Kuroo would be lying if he said he didn’t miss his mother, or that he isn’t happy that he finally gets a chance of a reconnection with someone he no longer knows. Even if it’s been long enough, at least she deserves a chance to get to know his son once again. But of course, it won’t be easy.

For now, Kuroo is going to return something that isn't his property.

The train stops at the next station, as the door opens, more people pour in and out of the vehicle. Kuroo tucks his phone back inside his pocket, contemplating on whether he should study or take the opportunity to sleep.

Speaking of sleep, oddly enough, ever since Kuroo unintentionally slept on his desk the night when his grandfather was taken to the hospital, he has been having weird flashbacks of the dream he had on that night. He couldn’t remember every detail of the dream, but when he tries, it slips away leaving only bits of the dream burned in his mind that keeps coming back to taunt him. This explains the sleep deprivation he’s been getting lately.

His mind only lingers on the thought of what feels like a _real_ memory while he stares at the ceiling. He couldn’t help but let himself lost to the feeling of nostalgia, making him stay up all night awake with his eyes close. Kuroo thinks back that he could’ve spent those hours studying instead of reminiscing about something that didn’t happen in his life.

He lets his eyes droop for a second, in hopes to catch a few Z’s

 _“Red is your color after all,”_ he furrows his brows, coming across something familiar that is now starting to get on his nerves. He groans slightly, shifting to a comfortable position on his seat while trying to relax.

‘I just want to sleep…’

*** 

Kuroo sits on the park bench with the old journal (completely fixed) in his hand, tapping on his feet impatiently. He checks his watch, noticing how it has already been almost 40 minutes since he was waiting for the owner of the journal to turn up with his mentioned green blazers, uncle, and few cousins.

The noisy children screaming around should be enough to tick the young third-year off but he remained calm and patient. He looks up at the cloudy sky, taking a deep breath. Summer only ended a week ago and the atmosphere was slowly turning cold as the autumn takes over to prepare for the winter.

_Autumn was when he finally confessed his feelings…_

His thoughts were interrupted by an awfully familiar voice that he never expected to hear. Kuroo internally groans and thinks of the possible scenarios that could go down, if his gut instincts are correct, he mentally prepares himself.

“Kuroo!? So it’s you?!” Kuroo turns in the direction of where the voice came from, confirming his suspicion. Ah, there is that green blazer bastard. Kuroo smirks to mask his annoyance upon seeing the guy that never fails to get on his nerves. “Ah, what a lovely day to see you Daishou.”

Daishou Suguru. Well, it’s not like he did something so loathsome that every time they meet, it would always be them fighting or mocking each other in any way. Kuroo doesn’t hate him, he just sees this bastard’s face with a smirk and he would get an urge to punch him in the face. That’s not hating, right?

Ever since they were in elementary school, Kuroo always comes across this dude wherever he goes. Be it on a tournament, a field trip, or a summer camp. There’s literally never a month where they don’t see each other. They can’t stand each other, and now that Kuroo thinks about it, maybe moving to Tokyo would probably be a good idea. ‘No more of this snake,’

“Ugh, I could have known it wasn’t a coincidence,” Daishou crosses his arms. “Where’s the journal? give it.”

“So the snake bastard is actually a historian. Quite surprising to know that about you,” Kuroo raises the book. Daishou’s eyes widened upon seeing the journal.

“Like you would understand how interests work,” Daishou rolls his eyes, scowling.

“Wait, You? Having interests other than volleyball and being a cunning ba-”

“Just give it here, I don’t have time to argue with you,” Daishou interrupts, trying to calm down.

At first, Kuroo expected that he would meet up with an older dude, like a writer or an editor or possibly a university student majoring in History. Someone who would seem to have been looking for an old journal with its content purely historical, as Kuroo assumed when he scanned the book. He thinks that the journal could be something important considering the notes are well-organized and well-written. He never expected he would return such an item to someone he’s known to only love volleyball. Seeing Daishou’s demeanor as of the moment somehow makes the raven head wonder.

Maybe Daishou is actually interested in history, who knows. Kuroo tries to recall some signs or parts of the journal that implies it could have belonged to him, like a familiar handwriting or something. Kuroo hands the journal to him after acknowledging the sudden seriousness of the air between them. Which, somehow, comes as a curiosity to Kuroo now.

“You stole our family heirloom and it’s pretty decent of you to return it with condition half bad,” Daishou flips the pages one by one carefully, looking up from the journal to Kuroo, who is now wearing a scowling expression after the remark from the other.

“I didn’t steal anything. I only have it for a week and now I am returning it to the rightful owner. It was an accident taking it home,” Kuroo raises his chin in reply.

“It’s still called stealing,” He tucks the book in his bag before returning the scowl.

“It’s not stealing if I return it though. Let’s just call it borrowing so your hair won’t be ruined by how stupid you look,” Kuroo snickers at the end of the sentence with his signature smirk. The air between them somewhat shifts back to how they usually converse. Daishou was about to retort, as indicated with his growing smug expression.

Kuroo could feel relief at the bottom of his stomach, only for it to be gone in an instant when he noticed Daishou fighting himself to self-control. ‘Seriously, what is up with this guy?’ Kuroo thinks since he’s not used to seeing him like this. The Daishou he always comes across never holds back. But this guy looks like he's about to get the worst beating from his grandmother or something.

“You’re lucky my family doesn’t press charges, clearly you couldn’t handle it being behind bars,” Kuroo raised an eyebrow. ‘What does prison has anything to do with a journal or something? Is it _that_ important?’ he thinks.

“I am lucky because I wasn’t the son who lost the book in the first place,” Daishou was about to retort back when someone from a distance called out. Kuroo noticed how the other flinched. Things are somewhat getting more and more evident to what the hell is up.

“Suguru! Your father is waiting for you! Let’s go!” Daishou looked uneasy now, it was evident from his actions that he’s trying his best to stand still. He turned to the direction of where the voice came from, it was from someone, just around their age with a disapproving look on their face.

Kuroo simply stayed still in his position, he wasn’t sure which to look at this point. Daishou simply sighs in annoyance with laces of being done with the day, he turns to look at Kuroo and bows with a hint of respect and apology, and this surprised the young raven head. “I apologize for my behavior and thank you for returning something that is ours,” Daishou says formally.

Kuroo was about to scoff and roll his eyes at him but he shrugs off the thought of this dude still a prick behind this respectable manner. He simply sighs, rolling his eyes upwards being done with the conversation too. “I also apologize,” he only replies, and as Daishou stands straight, both looking at each other, but Kuroo couldn’t help but notice how uncomfortable Suguru suddenly became after he was being called by someone. It is pretty unusual.

“This is an important heirloom that my family kept for 600 years so it means a lot to me,” Suguru explains, carefully patting the book in a safe space in the bag he’s holding. ‘That could be why,’ the raven head thought. “What’s in the journal anyway?”

Daishou raises an eyebrow, “Don’t you understand Japanese? For a week you held onto this and didn’t bother reading it,”

Kuroo did try to read, it really intrigued him that whole week but as a third-year student, he has more important things to read. Even if he reads the journal, some parts aren’t really translated well since his only guides were post-it of each line. “It’s just filled with my ancestor’s goal and guides. It has nothing to do with anything,” Daishou adds.

“OK, I don’t really care. Just took care of it while it was with me,” Kuroo simply replies, crossing his arms. Daishou closes the bag and turns to Kuroo’s attention, which immediately gave the raven head a strange vibe.

“Thank you again Kuroo,” He bows once again before turning his back and walked towards the direction of the person that called for him earlier. Kuroo raises a brow, trying to make sense of what just happened now, and just simply shrugs it off after coming to terms that he has nothing to do in the park. He never expected to see that side of Daishou ever. He couldn’t help but feel bothered even after Daishou was out of his sight. It should be okay now since he finally returned something that is not his and he could probably get some sleep tonight.

He turns in the direction of the station to head home and call it a day. The autumn breeze blew by, earning a shiver from the young raven head. ‘I should’ve worn my scarf today,’

Kuroo felt like he lost something at that moment, it couldn’t possibly be anything since the journal wasn’t even his in the first place. They don’t keep score on whoever wins a round of their usual fight. Whatever it is, he has no time to think about it.

For a second, he felt awfully odd from that encounter. He did his best to shake it off, thinking it is out of his hands now, literally. He enters the train and let himself be taken home, to spend the few remaining months with his family before moving to a different place.

***

“We’re going to miss you Tetsurou,” Grandma Kuroo squeezes the cheeks of his grandson during the farewell. Tetsurou, well, tries his best not to break into tears as he just laughs it off.

“Oba-san, I’ll try visiting from time to time,” He replies, now trying to free himself from the somewhat tight loving grips of his grandmother. “You better be. But you must focus on your studies and get high grades for us OK?”

“Yeah, Oba-san,”

“Be a good boy in Tokyo. I packed the recipe book of your favorite dishes so if you ever miss us, why don’t you cook yourself and your mom some love from Osaka,” Tetsurou’s eyes sparkled upon hearing those words. “Aw, that’s pretty thoughtful Oba-san. I’ll be sure to cook your recipes every day,” He exclaims in delight, earning a wide smile from his grandmother and dad.

“You’re sure are grandma’s boy Tetsu,” His dad comes beside them and pats his back. “Dad, are you sure you won’t come with me?” Tetsurou asks, his father sighs. “She won’t like seeing me. I don’t want her to feel upset all over again,” His words spoke with heavy emotion laced in them. Tetsurou frowns for a second before putting on his best reassuring smile. “I’ll do my best to help her dad, don’t worry,” Tetsurou puts a hand on his shoulder as his dad smiles back.

“Remember to call us Ok, Tetsu?”

“Of course!”

His dad smiles at him and ruffles his bedhead, showing affection to his teenage son. “Take care of your mom ok?” Tetsurou nods.

In the last few months, Tetsurou took his time to enjoy the city he lived in for 7 years. Enjoying the last winter with his family and making a few memories with his group of friends.

Tetsurou waves goodbye to his grandparents and father, stepping inside the bus, settling on the seat for him then looks from the window. They were still waving for him, wishing him the best.

Tetsurou smiles back and waves, disappearing from their view as the bus leaves the station. ‘See you later Osaka,’ He thinks.

He sighs, taking in the fact that he’s moving away from the place he considered his comfort zone. Moving around from place to place is one thing in his life since he went through something like this before. Looking outside the bus window with all of his stuff in the compartment, going to an unfamiliar place he’ll, one day, call home.

Living with the person he hasn’t seen since he was a child seems scary but this person is someone he felt a sense of security and love from. So, it’ll be alright, he thinks. He recalls how his mother showed him love and affection from the days she was still part of the family. He can recall how she held him close whenever something scares him, he can recall how good her cooking smells on a cool summer night or a cold winter morning. He can still recall her beautiful singing of lullaby.

Tetsurou misses his mom terribly and he’s excited to see her again but then again the change scares him.

‘What if no one likes me there?’

‘What if people would make fun of me?’

‘What if I’ll end up all alone?’

_“You won’t be alone and that’s a promise,” the subconscious thought calms him in an instant._

Tokyo should be like Osaka but with mom. Tetsurou believes he can make new friends, adjust to a new environment, and have fun. Maybe he just needs to let go of a few stuff that’s been weighing him down or such. It’s just how a change works. Tetsurou then leans on his shoulder, watching the buildings pass by from the bus window. His gaze fixated on one point as his mind races to different kinds of thought.

“ _If you’re still afraid, don’t worry. I am here, I’ll be waiting for you until you are ready.”_ he wiped a stray tear on the side of his eye as he yawned. At least maybe Tokyo has something for him. He only wished for his adjustment process to be easy.

He slowly drifts into sleep, trying to relax. In a few hours, he will see his mother again. And with that thought, he began rehearsing how he will speak to his mom once they see each other.

*** 

The first year of high school came… and it was rather eventful.

Seeing his mom for the first time again, and adjusting to the culture of the new place he’s going to live in for the next who knows how many years. Going to a school with a powerhouse volleyball club, meeting Bokuto. Ramen. And of course, the very moment he didn’t know that would change the course of his life.

“So we’re up against this school, Nohebi High in this practice match,” Tetsurou remembers his captain’s words loud and clear, but he never thought that the memory of the last encounter will come back rushing upon seeing the familiar guy in the green jersey. _Daishou Suguru_.

‘It’s only been almost a year and the universe decided to let our paths cross again,’ Kuroo squints his eyes.

The whole practice match was just the two _strangers_ looking at each other’s eye from time to time, unclear from an outside perspective if it is just them trying to recognize each other or just two dudes who simply hate each other. It was rather a weird sight for both teams as they try to figure out if those two knew each other or they’re just those kinds of people who decide they hate someone and go with that thought.

“You know this guy?” Yaku came up to Tetsurou while wiping off the sweat from his face. Tetsurou raises an eyebrow, not really hearing what his fellow first-year asked.

“Guy?” Tetsurou asks, Yaku points to the other first year of the Nohebi team with the annoyingly familiar features that the raven head hates so much.

“He’s this dude that I always see in events back in middle school and it’s annoying me ever since,” Tetsurou narrows his eyes. “For all of the things that could happen in the first year of high school here in Tokyo, having paths crossed with him had to be one of them,” he lets out an exaggerated sigh, briefly recalling all his encounters with him in the past.

“That guy infuriates me in every way. That lying cheating snake bastard. The school’s name must’ve called out for him since they’re the same. Snake,” he adds, clenching his grip on his water bottle.

Yaku looks over at Daishou and to Tetsurou. The smaller one lets out a laugh to break the pause between them. “Man, talk about the luck, you guys must be destined or something,”

“HA!?”

“You guys could be those who hate each other at first then when something happens between you, and you get this awkward change of heart,” Passerby simply glances at them before minding their business. “The hell are you talking about Yakkun? There’s no way he and I can be friends, not until he stops being an annoying entity to my life,”

“Who knows what could happen? I mean, you probably didn’t expect him to move to Tokyo as you did,” Kuroo scratches his chin.

“You have a point, but let me tell you one thing,” He faces Yaku, “There will be no reason for both of us to talk about things other than how we hate each other,”

Or so he thought.

Tetsurou didn’t know if the universe was against his wishes or the other way around to let the circumstance of the two of them being stuck inside the basement storage room to happen. Tetsurou rubs his temples, thinking this couldn’t be happening and not with Daishou Suguru himself. He can feel that Daishou has the same thoughts exactly with his face scowling and exaggeratingly sighing. “Great, I’m stuck with a jackass,”

“The hell you talking about you bastard! It’s your fault you didn’t prop the door with a stopper or something,” Tetsurou snaps, as he tries to turn the locked doorknob in aggression. “And it’s my fault to not know about this detail about your school? An idiot, really,”

The two bicker, almost seemingly endless, spitting insults they could think of back and forth. But of course, in everything we do, there will always be that limit or the line that we shouldn’t cross. Some lines we are unaware of or some lines that are just too much to handle, Tetsurou did exactly that, crossing an unknown line.

“…a _disappointment_ , really,” he says in a smug expression.

Leaving Daishou speechless all of a sudden. The type of speechless one shouldn’t have caused.

The air around them suddenly changed and Tetsurou immediately reads the situation. A familiar scene rushed over him upon seeing how Daishou seems bothered all of a sudden. He may have stepped on a landmine on this one, and for a brief moment, he remembers his last encounter about a certain cousin of his and an _heirloom_. The time where he first sees Daishou uneasy unnerved.

Tetsurou couldn’t believe he had to remember that detail by any chance in this situation. But it clearly made an unusual reaction from this other one, which is not supposed to be bothersome to someone’s curiosity especially if this someone is Kuroo Tetsurou. He remembers the scene unfolded before him the last time they saw each other and now seeing it again just right in front of him. Somehow, he wants to know the reason behind this.

It was awkward to say the least, that both parties suddenly became quiet, with Tetsurou trying his best to offer an apology on which Daishou was about to reply to when they were rescued by the rest of Tetsu’s team.

*** 

The end of the day was just as the same. Tetsurou was about to approach the opponent team captain when Daishou personally walks up to the raven head and said: “You don’t have to say anything about it. It’s something personal after all and you clearly realized your mistake,” with his tone as serious as the before back in Osaka when Kuroo returned the heirloom. The young raven head thinks for a moment and remembers a detail. ‘That’s right! The heirloom…’

“Hey, Daishou. Is this about what happened to the heirloom? I guess I could say it’s my fault since me accidentally taking it home could have been out of your control or something,” Tetsu replies on impulse. Daishou raises an eyebrow “You did try to fix the book and kept it safe for days then return it. Its condition doesn’t have anything to do with the real issue anyway, it’s just a book with history” there was a pause.

Tetsurou doesn’t need to know about Daishou’s backstory, he wasn’t trying to befriend him or something. Seeing that Daishou looked as if his colors were literally drained out of him when Kuroo accidentally offends him with a remark that could have sparked a recent trauma, he felt like he needed to make up for it by somewhat cheering him up or something like that. Kuroo can’t help it, he’s always been this kind. He couldn’t stand the thought of offending someone and not making up for it. Even if it’s the person that annoyed him since middle school.

Kuroo opens his mouth, attempting to start a conversation.

“Well, I did see a few things in the journal that time actually,” Tetsu recalls the recent notes plastered on each paper that he took time to read, remembering a few lines. “I know it couldn’t be from the original owner of the journal but those notes made me understand the story a bit more. It was pretty interesting,” He remembers a few information about the book upon recalling.

“Story? That wasn’t a story. It’s a diary,” Daishou corrects, riding along with the conversation. Kuroo nods at the information…

“ _I keep track of everything in this very book and without this book, I could not do a single thing that would make me miss something important,”_

_“So you write your own life as if it’s a story?”_

_“Do you not?”_

Tetsurou’s eyes widened at the strange feeling he just felt, slightly shaking his head to escape that headspace. He acknowledges Daishou’s correction. Kuroo replies.

“Really? that explains the portrait I found,” He pauses, realizing the portrait he found in the book was tucked away somewhere in his old closet back in Osaka. He titters lightly his eyes lingering elsewhere, registering the fact that he never really returned everything that day. _But if he did return the portrait that day too, it would feel as if he’s letting go of something that he treasured._

“Well, it does seem like a written story of a person’s life,” Daishou explains, “But it’s not really a story in general. If you believe in myths you’ll like it, the book holds a lot of evidence about a legend and it’s cool. It’s like a documentary or something” Kuroo nods again, an image comes to his mind.

“Legend? The legend of the Yamaneko perhaps?”

“Yeah, that one, how did you know? It’s a lost legend,” Tetsurou thinks back on what was written on the first page of the journal and the painting back in the museum. _Right, the painting…_

“I just grew interested in it, but I don’t know anything about it, well I want to…” Tetsu replies, stuttering on the few words. He didn’t realize he was getting genuinely interested in the contents of the journal he once held for a week. For a moment it seemed like it’s important information for the young first year to know since it was like a repeated memory that he grew familiar with.

Daishou hums in response, “Well, there’s not much information you can find on the web.” The other simply shrugs, leaving both of them in silence.

Once again, there was a pause. But for both who seem to hate each other for so long, feeling this light feeling in their chests as something wholesome if they describe so.

“Anyways, I supposed I should say my sorry for crossing the line. It must’ve sucked and I’m not usually a suck-y person because you just moved here and the only person you’d see in a new place as someone familiar is me,” he does his best trying to sound genuinely apologetic.

Daishou snickers which changed the air between them completely, the serious vibe going away, “Oho, I’ve been living in Tokyo for years. For all I know, you’re the one who just moved here and I am the only person you’d see in a new place as someone familiar,” Tetsurou narrows his eyes in response, scrunching his nose. “The hell are you talking about, I have family here,”

“And so am I! You should probably start learning about backgrounds the next time you attempt to comfort someone,” he replies now with a cackle that completely breaks the serious air around him.

“I wasn’t comforting you!” Tetsu retorts, pressing his lips afterward. Realizing that he’s somewhat successful, he felt a little lighter in his chest.

“Rooster-hair bastard.”

“Snake bastard.”

From a distance, Yaku was already cackling too (with a few concerned seniors behind him), seeing how he predicted the scenario too well and started thinking about how he’s going to not let Kuroo Tetsurou live this down.

*** 

Suguru comes across the journal once again in the avoided corner of his room and picks it up, remembering the day he wonders about the real reason why he got scolded so harshly when he lost such an important heirloom. _An important heirloom_ , he recalls those words from his Great Elder.

He remembers going to Osaka to visit their Great Elder who just recovered from a long coma back when he was still in third-year middle school. His father told him to study the history of their family from the beginning before meeting that important family member. Suguru was excited at first until it came to a point that it gets terrifyingly serious whenever he goes deep into their family’s history. He even went through a denial stage because of it.

The journal is the main part of it and since he is a direct descent of the Great Elder’s bloodline, he was burdened with the responsibility of passing down their history. He doesn’t understand why it was so serious for his whole family to study this until he met their Great Elder. Let’s just say, when he was made aware of the unimaginable and horrible things history tells, his mind woke to all the possibilities of how much power they can utilize in the modern era with this certain knowledge from their past.

But still, what could the Great Elder have been mad about once he saw his greatest grandson without the family’s heirloom. Daishou reexamines the journal he abandoned reading. He sat on his bed as he tries to push back the terrible memory of his trip to Osaka just to see his old Grandfather who snapped at him because he lost an important part of their family’s history.

It was returned! Daishou can still remember his frustration back when the journal was returned, still leaving the Great Elder with extreme dissatisfaction. He was afraid at that time too, poor Daishou. He wanted answers but he never got them, thus leaving this history abandoned on the corner side of his room as he actively tried to avoid associating with it.

He then checks every page once again thoroughly, recognizing a few characters that he studied back in middle school. As he flips through the pages, Kuroo’s voice came to his mind.

_“Really? that explains the portrait I found,”_

Suguru squints his eyes, patiently flipping through the pages with a fixed pace, waiting to come across a portrait. Suguru raises an eyebrow in confusion. ‘I could’ve sworn that there used to be a single portrait here’ he thought as he went back to the beginning and flipped through pages again, but this time, with more speed. He repeats and repeats until he realized, there’s no portrait in the pages.

Suguru pinches the bridge of his nose realizing something major that he could have avoided before or resolved immediately. He finally connects the dots and squints his eyes in pure irritation after recalling a few certain memories about the portrait tucked in the journal.

He takes out his phone to contact a certain rooster hair bastard.

Suguru never really understood the importance of _the journal_ until it was passed down to him along with a few journals from others before him containing information and studies about the legend and this so-called _fallen star_ or _fault of the universe._ As far as he knows, his ancestry consists mostly of eye doctors and policemen, not folklorists. But this legend that his family revolves around isn’t some folktale or tradition that needs to be preserved as part of the culture, it’s like a family secret that he needs to keep safe or fulfill or something.

 _Weird…_ he thought, but after meeting the Great Elder, he realized how important it was indeed. How weird shit can happen in the past times. Suguru doesn’t want to believe in such things but his Great Elder’s existence and the history that revolved around him was enough evidence. Before, he doesn’t know the real reason why his Great Elder gets so worked up at the topic of Luck and Fortune. He simply replies it is because it is something their ancestry must take into consideration whenever they set out to fulfill their clan’s purpose: to hunt and kill.

Yes, they used to be a family consisting of assassins called the Yamaneko clan, but that was only 600 years ago. And 617 years ago, his Great Elder fell into a sleeping coma, waking up 17 years ago with the sheer determination of finishing what he started.

**END OF CHAPTER**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, there are things that don't make sense yet, but I promise it will! since we're still in the second chapter after all. So the kuroken interaction will be in the next chapter. See you guys next week! Thanks for tuning in and sticking by, haha.
> 
> I apologize for the grammatical error and typos. I'll be editing the chapters from time to time. I hope you liked Chapter 2, see you next week for Chapter 3!
> 
> update: chapter edited


	3. Are you... like Maneki-neko?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> There's something about Kenma that made Kuroo think about something that is related to a part of his past.
> 
> ***
> 
> Kenma gets to spend extra time with Kuroo.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's chapter 3! I hope you'll like it. I apologize for some grammatical mistakes or errors and the fact that I updated a little late.

_“So, where is it?” Suguru crosses his arms, Kuroo tilt’s his head in confusion. “Where’s what?”_

_“The portrait. The one stuck in the journal you ‘accidentally’ brought home that time,”_

_Kuroo cringes to the side as he remembers leaving it in his old room in Osaka. He clears his throat, “I... it’s in my drawer back in Osaka,” Suguru purses his lips, shaking his head._

_“Is it safely kept?”_

_“Dude, you called me to ‘hang out’ only for you to ask about an old picture,” Kuroo says._

_“It’s an important heirloom ok? My family kept it safe for generations and now I lost it…” Suguru trails off, rubbing his temples. “What? You got your ass whooped for losing a picture?”_

_“Stupid! You took it home with you!”_

_“How am I supposed to know that it was an important heirloom?” Suguru was already pulling his hair out in frustration but somehow manages to calm himself down and let out a deep breath._

_“You know what? It’s fine, as long as it’s safe and the portrait doesn’t get soiled or destroyed,” Suguru says._

_“What’s with the portrait anyway?”_

_“Apparently they decided to keep just one copy. Just to remember the person drawn on the portrait,”_

_“Who is the person in the portrait anyway that you got in so much trouble for losing?” Suguru freezes._

_“The person in the portrait…?” the raven head raises an eyebrow, listening._

_Kuroo suddenly recalls the portrait and the parts of it came as flashes in his mind before Suguru finishes his sentence. He recalls the eyes, those golden captivating eyes… The next words that came out of the other’s mouth surprised him._

_“The person that betrayed my family 600 years ago,”_

**_Present time in Tokyo_ **

Kuroo could’ve sworn he has seen those pair of eyes before. Those golden eyes that meet his gaze, glistening like the sparkling field of ripe wheat. It was like the reflection of the sunset on the surface of the seas. It captivated him. He was not sure if he’s seen it from a distant memory or a _dream._

For a moment it felt like he found something.

“Bro! his sets are cool and he’s really smart” Kuroo had to break eye contact for a while, being interrupted by his loud friend. “I’m not that smart,” the semi-blonde speaks softly, slowly cringing. Kuroo’s insides tingle all of a sudden.

“This is my best bro, Kuroo! He’s a third-year like me and he’s also a captain in their volleyball team,” Bokuto drops his arm around Kuroo, pointing at him. Kenma doesn’t raise his head but simply looks up from his gaming device to meet Kuroo’s gaze once again. Kuroo gulps unnoticeably, noticing those eyes once again.

It’s sparkling.

Kuroo was snapped out of the trance once he remembers that they weren’t the only people in the booth. Facing Bokuto again.

“Bro, by the way. Akaashi is a transferee from America,” Kuroo says gesturing over the dark-haired second year, Bokuto’s eyes gleamed, “REALLY? You’re American?” The Fukurodani third-year exclaims leaning forward abruptly, accidentally pulling Kuroo forward that the raven head almost smacked his face on the table. “The fu-,” Kuroo curses as he escapes from Bokuto’s death grip, swatting his back in return but the owl head doesn’t seem fazed. ‘it’s dangerous when he’s this excited,’ Kuroo thought as he looks at his overly enthusiastic friend.

“No, I’m Japanese. We moved to America 10 years ago and just moved back here recently,” Akaashi replies in a calm tone, surprising Bokuto with his fluent Japanese, dialect and all. “For a second there I thought you’re going to answer me in English,” he replies.

“Other’s thought so too,” Akaashi replies, putting his hands on the table politely.

“Did I mention he’s a setter?” Kuroo adds, “Oh! A setter!” Bokuto began asking more questions to the young Nekoma transferee with volleyball related questions, taking Akaashi by surprise as he tries to answer them.

Kuroo then turns to their other guest who was looking over the two conversing persons in front of him, looking over at the semi-blonde as if he’s peeking.

Kuroo doesn’t want him to be seen as a creep looking at this new person, so he’s a bit thankful for Bokuto reaching forward to Akaashi, providing him a safe wall to freely look, not stare, at this person that somehow gives him an odd feeling of … what’s the word? _nostalgia._

Suddenly, Kenma darts his eye towards Kuroo’s direction who immediately turns away instinctively waves over the waiter who is, luckily, in his field of view.

Kuroo’s heart raced suddenly after realizing what just happened. But as the night seemingly going smoothly, Kenma never tried to initiate a conversation, not once, but he does speak from time to time. It was a nice dinner, at least. Akaashi is conversing well with the rest of the group, laughing in between, sharing stories and introductions while enjoying their ramen on a fairly cool night in Tokyo. It’s a good night, and Kuroo never noticed himself always catching Kenma’s eyes now and then by always turning in his direction.

In the most convenient time, their eyes keep meeting but no words were exchanged between the two. Kuroo couldn’t help but notice how _pretty those eyes were._ If he could just gaze upon them all day… now he felt like a pervert thinking about it.

“Kozume-san, you almost forgot your PlayStation,” Akaashi hands over the blue gaming device that Kenma was seen to be attached to throughout the whole dinner. “Um, thank you,” Kenma takes the PlayStation from Akaashi’s hand and looks over his side where Kuroo was looking at the two all along.

Kenma’s jaw moves, he was about to say something to Kuroo. ‘Finally,’ Kuroo thinks but he was interrupted by Bokuto’s loud mouth, startling both in the process. “Tonight was fun! Thank you for the meal and for Kuroo losing the bet to make this free dinner a reality and for Kuroo bringing Akaashi-kun with him and for Kozume-kun for agreeing to eat dinner with us,” Bokuto puts his arms over Akaashi and Kenma, bringing them both closer to him. Kuroo’s nose pinches his expression upon hearing the word ‘free’

Kenma seemed visibly uncomfortable at the sudden contact and Akaashi simply tries to lean his head away to avoid spit landing all over his face. Kuroo chuckles at the view. “Stop pestering the second-years, you’re going to drive them away,” Kuroo teases.

“Ha! From now on we will hang out like this again in the future. You guys are cool to be with,” Bokuto ruffles Kenma’s hair before letting go. Kenma scrunches his face as he fixes his blonde locks and lets out a small exaggerated huff.

‘Huh, I never noticed Kenma’s hair is actually long,’ Kuroo thinks. Probably because he’s too fixated on that one detail in Kenma’s feature this whole time. “But do you think being in different schools would be a problem?” Kuroo replies.

“We always hang out every once in a while, Kuroo-kun. This shouldn’t be any different since we’ll be in touch with each other,” Bokuto brings out his phone, a signal to exchange email addresses to each other.

“Well, this has been fun, so I wouldn’t mind hanging out again,” Akaashi speaks up, exchanging numbers with each other. “Same here, I guess,” Kenma mutters, but audible enough for Bokuto to hear and cheer. “Alright! That’s what I’m talking about,”

That part of the night ended… thinking Kuroo probably won’t see Kenma any longer, he sighed.

*** 

‘Another year of solitude, I guess,’ Kenma remembers these exact thoughts before school started…

But now, Kuroo is walking with him on his way home. Or should he say ‘on their way home’?

At first, when the train stopped and the doors open, he thought this Kuroo dude was following him. Kenma would subtly glance at this taller man now and then just to see if his intentions were something bad. He would shift his bag every time he takes a turn, noticing that Kuroo takes the same turn, walking slightly behind him. “This is crazy, it’s like we live in the same neighborhood or something,” Kuroo speaks up with a chuckle.

Kenma’s heartbeat paced faster than how his mind raced. He thought it was anxiety at first, but it wasn’t, he’s aware of that feeling. When he sat in the booth, he thought all he had to do was to eat ramen, socialize when needed. He never anticipated the part where he has to dodge every gaze this _stranger_ gives to him, so basically it was Kenma trying to avoid meeting the eyes of this man who is currently walking with him in the same direction. Normally, he’ll find a way to escape.

The thing is, he didn’t even think of an escape for the whole duration of the night. Kenma simply eats from his bowl while listening to stories from three people he just met. For a moment, it felt as if he was put there on purpose. Like the universe wanted him there.

“It is likely,” Kenma replies, trying to speed up walking, in hopes to avoid interacting with him.

He wasn’t sure why he feels like he shouldn’t have eaten the ramen. His stomach kept turning in a way every time he thinks about Kuroo. Don’t get him wrong, it’s thoughts like: ‘how am I going to get him to stop looking at me,’ or ‘why the hell is he looking at me, is there something wrong with me?’ and others. Kuroo should at least feel a little awkward in the situation but as Kenma looks over the other man, he couldn’t help but think that he is actually following him. Seeing the third year smile like that…

“Hey, are you following me?” Kenma asks with a flat tone, catching Kuroo off-guard at the question.

“What? No, I actually live in this neighborhood. I’m guessing you too?” Kuroo asks with a smirk, his signature smirk, as Kenma recalls the times he does that. Kenma felt his chest leap. “I-yeah. I live here too,” The semi blonde replies, continues walking, slowing down for a little bit. Kuroo eventually keeps up, now side to side to each other.

‘OK, so maybe he isn’t really stalking me,’

They walked in silence. Kenma’s house isn’t far but why does it feel like time is so slow?

“Bokuto mentioned you just moved in this area. So how are you holding up in a new environment?” Kuroo asks, Kenma looks in Kuroo’s direction, not bother craning his head just to meet the raven head’s eyes, no, eye. Since his fringe covers half of his face, he couldn’t see both of his eyes. Or maybe he could see a fraction of it since Kenma’s so small he can literally see the holes of Kuroo’s nose.

“Umm, yeah.” Kenma replies, noticing how reserved he must be around Kuroo compared to Bokuto at this day. “I know exactly what you feel. I used to live in a different city 3 years ago but now I’m here and I’m doing great. And don’t hesitate to ask for my company since being alone in a new city must be a little scary,” Kuroo says. ‘Like any senpai would say,’ Kenma thinks.

“I’ve been living in Tokyo for 10 years. We only moved in a different ward because of my parent’s work and my old school, but thanks for the concern,” Kuroo flinched a little bit, his composure almost falling. ‘Woah, this looks interesting,’

“Oh, you’ve been living here for 10 years. I just assumed that since you’re a transferee, you’re from a different city or something,” Kuroo almost stuttered at the beginning. Kenma noticed this discomfort coming from the third-year.

“It’s cool of you to offer kindness,”

“Well, I’m always this kind,”

Kenma scoffs at Kuroo’s remark after seeing him smirk. Kuroo chuckles back at the semi-blonde’s expression. “What’s with that?”

“Nothing,”

Both were startled at the ringing of Kuroo’s phone. “Excuse me for a bit,” Kuroo tells Kenma as their pace slows, leaving both in silence with only Kuroo’s replies providing a background noise from his own conversation on the phone.

As if on cue, Kenma’s attention went to the vibration of his phone, opening to a new message from his mom asking him to buy a few ingredients while he’s out in the nearest convenience store. Kenma replied before tucking his phone back into his pocket, seeing Kuroo does the same thing and both of their gazes meet.

For a second, Kuroo seemed to have flinched, something like how Shoyo would react whenever they meet eye to eye. But for a second, Kuroo was immediately snapped out of his trance. “Umm, I’m going to head to the convenience store to buy stuff. I guess we’ll be parting there,” The raven head says after clearing his throat.

‘Well, what are the odds,’

“Actually,” Kenma starts.

“I’m stopping by too, guess we won’t be getting rid of each other for a while,” The second-year adds.

“Why would I want to get rid of you? You’re cool to be with,” Kuroo genuinely smiles this time.

A tingling feeling came into Kenma’s stomach.

***

Kenma trips on the entrance but Kuroo grabs his arms, keeping him from falling on his face. “Good thing I’m near you, or that wouldn’t end well,”

There it goes again, the damn tingling feeling in his stomach that keeps him feeling a little uncomfortable. Kenma convinces himself that it’s probably the ramen or the fact that he socialized too much for a day when he’s supposed to be gaming at that hour, or maybe he’s with the best friend of their volleyball captain and he isn’t sure how he should act around him.

He only assumed that he must be a stalker or a creep at first and he never really tried to make an effort on knowing this guy for the night, even at the part where he talked about his volleyball adventures from dinner.

Kenma realizes that on their way to the store.

He thinks that Kuroo is like someone he’ll come across every month and they would just simply acknowledge each other’s presence or something like that and nothing special would happen. Since they have different schools and socializing would be almost impossible considering Kuroo’s a third-year and a captain to a powerhouse volleyball team. Kenma thinks it should be alright since this could be the last he’ll ever socialize with this person like this.

Kuroo is just an acquaintance, nothing special.

But why does it feel like his presence gives him another familiar vibe that he’s been getting, like the one he felt when he was having a conversation with Bokuto. Yes, both captains seem to have the same personality, but Kenma is well aware that it’s not the real reason why he feels like something is clenching at his chest, feeling it all over his body. There is a difference between the familiar vibe he feels with these two, maybe for Bokuto, he feels this big brother vibe from him but for Kuroo, man, it was like this feeling he gets whenever he arrives Miyagi during spring break. The longing kind.

And something like a cat rubbing itself lovingly all over Kenma’s legs like it wants something desperately. Kuroo is supposed to be just an acquaintance of Kenma. However, the semi-blonde has a strong feeling that they will see each other sometime again or a feeling that he finally found an answer to a lingering question from the back of his mind.

Both of them went on their own ways, separated by the shelves but since Kuroo is tall, Kenma can see the familiar spiky raven hair wherever he goes. Somewhat reliable when he, by any chance, get lost in the maze of aisles. After picking up a few ingredients, he realized he has been glancing over Kuroo’s head this whole time. Kenma then meets up with Kuroo, who was still choosing which brand he should get.

Kenma walks quietly to his side, alarming Kuroo from the sudden invasion of his personal bubble but calms down immediately after realizing it was just Kenma, holding his basket of goods. “Holy-, Don’t sneak up like that, that was creepy,” Kuroo says. “Sorry,” Kenma replies, his eyes looking over what Kuroo was holding all along.

“You like chips?” Kenma asks, also facing the shelf.

“Yeah, I’m guessing you don’t with that expression of yours,” Kuroo replies, Kenma raises an eyebrow, not realizing how he was expressing himself with his face as he turns to look (up) to Kuroo. “I don’t dislike chips. I just don’t like getting my fingers dirty whenever I’m gaming,”

“Ah! so you really are a gamer. I play games too but I prefer playing volleyball with my friends. I couldn’t stay still inside the house all day,” Kuroo tucks one of the chips back on the shelf before putting his chosen one to his basket.

“I can. Well, stay still inside the house and just play games.”

“You don’t get restless or something?”

“Games keeps me from getting bored, of course not,”

“If I play games the whole day I don’t know if my body would take being in one place for–how many hours do you usually play games?”

“My longest was 11 hours,” Kenma replies in an instant while checking a few things from the shelf.

“Eleve- Woah! 11 hours straight? How do you do that? Don’t you feel worn out from tapping on your games for 11 hours?” Kuroo gasps in amazement. Kenma shrugs.

“I guess I’m just used to it since I’ve been doing it since I was a kid,” the semi-blonde answers as they continued walking down the aisle, checking every section of the shelves.

“I’m surprised you’re not wearing glasses at this age,”

“Me too. I guess my eyesight is pretty strong,” Kenma replies as his eyes widened, catching a glimpse of a wrapped apple pie on the shelf before grabbing one and shoving it into his basket immediately, Kuroo couldn’t help but notice the sparkles of delight in Kenma’s eyes, he smirks at this sight. “A sweet tooth, I assume”

“What’s not to like in apple pie?”

“How overly sweet it can be. There’s a certain level of sweetness that I prefer,” Kuroo replies, walking beside Kenma as they both face the section of pies in front of them. “I don’t always get to eat one of these,” Kenma shows the pie to Kuroo. “This brand?”

“Yeah,” Kenma remembers the time when his mother would always bring home apple pie when she goes home from work. One of the sweet moments to cherish back when he was still in his old school. Kuroo sighs in a soft reminiscent tone.

“My grandma makes apple pie. She said it’s the best western food there is and she bakes a lot for me back when I was in Osaka,” Kuroo says, checking a different piece up close with a smile, recalling a certain memory with his grandmother, perhaps.

“Lucky,” Kenma walks over in the direction of the cashier. Kuroo follows. There was a brief silence between them as they wait for their turn on the counter. Kenma thought he was about to enjoy the peace between them that is until Kuroo decided to break the pause.

“So, how did you start playing volleyball?”

‘oh my god,’ Kenma internally groans.

Kenma’s left eye noticeably twitch, upon hearing the same question again. “Shoyo taught me,” he replies laced with sternness. Kuroo just nods and hums as a response, probably catching the sight of Kenma’s eyebrow raised as an expression of annoyance to the redundant topic they already have back in the ramen house.

Kenma thinks that maybe Kuroo is feeling awkward (finally), so maybe this is enough reason for them to finally get the hell out of each other’s presence and breathe. Kenma was simply holding on since he was only doing what’s best all this time. Reply and be polite. But seeing the sight of the older one slowly losing composure, he feels a pint of cockiness in himself. _Now, where the hell did that come from?_

Kenma sighs again, snapping out of his annoyed vibe almost immediately, feeling bad for leaving Kuroo in that awkward state.

“I was almost hit by a ball on the head, on impulse, I used my hand to block it, accidentally tossing it. That’s how I met Shoyo and how I started playing,” He answers, Kuroo’s expression lightened once again. ‘That wasn’t so bad,’ Kenma thinks.

“You didn’t tell that story at the ramen house,”

“Well, I preferred not to talk on the table at that moment,”

“Pretty understandable. Since you just met us this day,” Kuroo walks forward after the line moves.

Kenma takes a deep breath with a train of thought running in his mind right now, simply taking advantage of the pause for him to think about how to avoid another awkward silence between them. Kenma glances at Kuroo who, apparently had the same idea to look (only a few seconds early) at the setter, glances away after the brief meeting of their gazes.

‘Again! He keeps looking at me like that’ Kenma thought, cocking his head to the side. If he would receive a yen to the times he caught Kuroo looking at him this night, he would have enough to buy a new game console. Well, not in a literal sense, since it felt like he caught this raven head a couple of times, to the point where he needed an explanation from this third-year spiker. He wants to ask, but not sure when he should initiate the question.

The pause was over for a few seconds after Kuroo decides to break the silence again.

“So, you accidentally tossed the ball?” Kuroo says with amusement laced in his tone, going along with Kenma’s short story. “Yes. It was weird luck,” Kenma replies. “You should have told this story back in the ramen house. It could’ve been an awesome story to talk about,”

“But I completely understand if you really didn’t want to, there’s always next time,” Kuroo adds. ‘Will there be a next time?’ Kenma thought.

“Well, that’s not the only reason why I chose not to talk,” Kenma finally admits, finding that this is an opportunity to address something that’s been bothering him this night.

“Hmm? There’s another reason?” Kuroo blinks.

Kenma looks up to Kuroo’s face, not trying to make eye contact, simply facing him. ‘How should I say this…?’ Kenma was still skeptical about what to say. Well, he’s about to confront someone he just met that day, how is it not uncomfortable?

“You keep staring at me,” He deadpans. Kuroo froze for a moment, probably realizing that he thought he could get away with that. Upon seeing how uncomfortable Kuroo was, Kenma felt a little proud of himself for speaking up about an ‘issue’

“Uh he he… I guess I should apologize for that,” Kuroo pauses, scratching the back of his neck as he nervously chuckles. Kuroo was about to add something when the young setter interrupts him.

“Why, though?” Kuroo flinches, searching for a reply. Kenma waits patiently, seeing how Kuroo seems awkward was giving him a sense of cockiness for himself. He wasn’t sure why. ‘Look at him, I’m not sure whether I should feel bad or if I should make fun of him,’ Kenma huffs in his mind, consciously fighting back the urge to smirk at the moment.

“Maybe it’s because I haven’t seen golden eyes like yours before,” he pauses for a while, looking at Kenma’s eyes once again.

“And yours look pleasant…?” Kuroo adds, somewhat coming out as a question rather than a simple statement. Like he was uncertain if he should be saying this or not.

Kenma felt his cheeks heat up from that response. Since it’s the first time he hears someone tells him a small detail of his features, more specifically his eyes were pleasant to look at. He didn’t know what to answer next.

“ _Your eyes are like the moon that glows brightly at night… you never fail to catch my attention.”_

Kenma fidgets his fingers on the basket handle, feeling the grip of his hands from the handlebar loosens. His mind lingers on the contents of his baskets which are mostly glass bottles. ‘Are you an idiot Kenma?!’

Realizing he messed up, he panics for a second, accidentally dropping the basket he’s holding but fortunately, Kuroo’s knee and hands were there to stop the fall, an exclamation coming from both of them as they anticipated a disaster. Both of them visibly relax as Kenma grabs the basket once again, safe from the fall.

“That was close.” Kuroo sighed in relief.

Kenma felt relief as well. At that moment, he realized something out of the blue. _Relief…?_

_The strange… feeling…?_

“Careful, Kozume-kun. Luck isn’t always on our side” Kuroo says with a light chuckle, putting the contents of his basket on the counter upon coming to the front of the line. Kenma couldn’t help but feel a little flustered after that. What if it actually dropped on the floor then it would be painful and embarrassing. He couldn’t show his face in the store again or to Kuroo if it ever happens. Kenma cringes at the thought of what could have happened but was interrupted by the cashier’s voice

“Good evening sir, since you are the 100th customer of the day, you’ll be receiving a discount for all of your goods” The cashier smiles unsettlingly wide.

“Eh?” Kuroo’s mouth gaped in surprise. As for Kenma, it was a common event he always comes across.

‘Oh…

Another one of this again,’ The semi-blonde thinks. But it’s not every day that he gets to see some of his _lucky aura_ get rubbed off on people.

This lucky aura of his… that he believes he has ever since his grandparents nicknamed him their ‘lucky boy’. Kenma thinks back to when it felt immature to still believe in those kinds of things when he was a child until a lot of weird phenomena started becoming noticeable to him. At first, it was a cool thing to witness, but now it just seems like a common thing to see.

He would be left in awe after seeing someone falling down the stairs and would land like a boss or when someone accidentally catches something that wasn’t supposed to fall. A weird phenomenon like when he comes across an arcade, there would be wins left and right for those lottery types of games. that was only at first but it gets boring seeing the same thing over and over again, like this event unfolding before him as of the moment. It’s a common scene.

And now that he thinks about it, he sometimes can’t understand why this weird aura he has can’t be applied to himself.

Yes, even though he tries.

“Are you sure? This is a thing?” Kuroo stutters in disbelief, looking over at Kenma who was wearing a neutral look, shrugging, and back to the smiling cashier.

“Yes sir, since there’s a special consumer event and you are one of the lucky few who happened to shop in this store and you will be receiving the discount valid only to this day,” Kuroo’s eyes widened.

“Um, this is… uh, thank you very much,” Kuroo bows to express his gratitude as the other one simply waits for his turn to the counter.

While waiting, Kenma sees how Kuroo seems to be stuck in his surprised state. Remembering that he basically paid for dinner that night at the ramen house, this could have been one of those moments when he knew he needed some sort of miracle to save some money or something. Kenma smiles for himself with a sigh, realizing his weird lucky aura helped someone again. Even though this isn’t the first time it happened, it still warms Kenma’s heart.

After both collect their changes, the two heads outside to be greeted by the cold breeze of the spring night. Kenma mentally notes to himself that the next time he’s going grocery shopping, he’ll be using the basket with wheels and stuff. No more holding baskets with his hands. Ever.

*** 

As they continue to walk home, Kuroo suddenly speaks. “For 3 years, I never heard about that consumer’s event, ever,” Breaking the silence between them, Kenma hums in response. “Maybe it’s just a recent thing,” the semi-blonde replies. Kuroo hums too, as a response.

After that, another silence filled the air between them and it’s an uncomfortable one, as Kenma describes for himself. Kuroo seems ok though, it’s like he’s taking his time to think about something.

“Hey, thank you for saving me back there by the way,” Kenma says to break the silence, his voice slowly turns into a mutter as he speaks. “It’s nothing,” Kuroo replies, scratching his cheek with a reassuring smile. Kenma prepares for another moment of awkward silence between them, that is, again, his thoughts were interrupted by Kuroo.

“You know, it’s weird how this night was somewhat lucky,”

Kenma perked up at the word. “How so?”

“Let’s see,” Kuroo taps on his chin, trying to remember a few instances.

“I got an extra egg on my ramen” Kuroo pauses searching for more answers. "The extra egg in your ramen is already lucky?"

"Yes, for me... let continue,"

"Hmm," Kenma hums.

“This discount, me saving you from trouble… I don’t know, I guess I’m just really amazed since this kind of luck doesn’t often happen to me,”

‘If this is a thing to make conversation then I guess it could work?’ Kenma thinks. “Hey, do you believe that one person can bring luck wherever they go?” Kuroo asks. “What?”

‘The hell? He’s been reading my mind or something?’

“A lucky person, like Maneki Neko* (招き猫). It somehow relates to this day, well, for me that is,” Kuroo looks over at Kenma and an idea sparks in Kenma’s mind, assuming Kuroo was talking about him, he asks.“You think I’m lucky? When I almost got myself in trouble,”

“Which you luckily avoided,” Kuroo adds. “Certainly, because of you. You’re the lucky one,” Kenma says. Kuroo rubs his chin, “Hmm, maybe it’s just luck on our side,”

Thinking about it, Kenma couldn’t help but assume that this raven head’s mind is running on ideas that are related to luck. Just a while ago, Kenma was thinking about luck, maybe this is the weird telepathic thing he has been hearing about before, where when you’re close to someone and you think about something too hard, you ended up transferring some ideas to the other person through brain energy. But the thing is, he wasn’t thinking that hard about luck or something.

Clearly, Kuroo must have been thinking deeply about this. Maybe he’s the type to analyze stuff too.

Well, isn’t that nice?

“Luck just comes in a 20/80 scale; the odds are never in our favor. Whatever entity controls luck doesn’t have any favorites,” Kenma says, briefly remembering himself in his childhood days when he used to really believe about his luck aura.

“Well, what about luck in general?”

“Of course I believe in them. Even though there’s no scientific explanation behind luck. I always get lucky whenever I’m leveling up in a game, or something. Maybe coz I’m good at games…” Kenma replies, waiting for a few seconds before speaking up again.

“What about you? Do you believe in luck? You seem to have something on your mind about this certain topic,” Kenma asks, looking up to the raven head beside him. ‘Seriously, I am not liking this height difference,’

“Yeah, I believe in luck, but I don’t think it comes like 20/80 scales or something that comes by any chance coz you’re good at something,” Kuroo says. “It’s just simply 'luck', Kuroo-san,” Kenma interrupts. “Hear me out on this one,”

Kenma closes his mouth. Kuroo takes a brief deep breath.

“What if luck is like a wish from someone who looks out for you?” Kuroo starts. Kenma tilts his head to the side, raising an eyebrow. ‘Now where is he going from this?’

“A wish?” Kenma asks, in between the pause.

“Imagine this. For example, I want you to be safe always and it becomes a subconscious wish that is heard by the stars-,”

“The stars?” Kenma interrupts.

“We usually wish on a shooting star, right?”

“Right,”

“Okay, let me continue… heard by the stars and they rain on you as good energy and whenever something bad comes your way, it is always blocked by the wish I wished for you. Thus, it’s like luck came your way because someone wished for you,”

_“The stars led me to you,”_

Kenma pauses, taking a closer look at the third year he was with. He wants to check if he’s serious with this discussion and confirms that he is. Kenma was a little taken aback by the fact that Kuroo…

That Kuroo is a dork.

‘Maybe he’s just trying to be this senpai who thinks he’s telling his grandchildren stories or something,’ Kenma suddenly thinks of an image in his head. His mouth twitches.

“…”

“What? It’s a good thought,” Kuroo gives a cheeky grin.

“It sounds like it came from a children’s story. Are you a grandmother or something?” Kenma replies, suppressing a laugh.

“It also kinda makes sense, but you liked it!” Kuroo claims.

Thinking back, Kenma does seem genuinely interested in the thought, but he never noticed it for himself.

“No, I didn’t,” the semi-blonde looks away from the raven head.

“You were listening and your eyes were literally sparkling in interest,”

“No, it wasn’t,”

“Yes, you liked it,”

“No, I didn’t,”

“Yes, you did,”

This guy…

“Did not,”

“Did too,”

“Did not…”

“…”

“…”

“… Did too,”

Both of them stopped as soon as they faced a direction opposite to each other. They were at a waiting shed that separates the road into two different ways. Kenma would be lying if he says that he’s finally (FINALLY) parting from this stranger, no… acquaintance? A _friend_?

There it is again, the tingling sensation in his stomach, thinking he’s not going to see Kuroo at school in consideration of them being in different schools. Both of them stand still, facing each other, probably thinking on how they’re going to conclude their conversation. “So I live in this part of the neighborhood,” Kuroo says, pointing to the direction behind him. “I live up there,” Kenma says, pointing to the way up the hill towards his own neighborhood.

“I guess this is goodbye?” Kuroo smiles cheekily. ‘He looks like an idiot,’ Kenma thinks but his heart warms at the fact that he’s having progress on the change that he’s planning to do at the beginning of the year, though hesitant at first.

First, Bokuto and now, Kuroo… now that he thinks about it, it wasn’t that bad making a little effort, even though it felt like impulse.

“By the way, I hope you don’t mind me asking…” Kenma cringes after realizing how embarrassing what he was about to do.

“Go on, ask away,” Kuroo assures. Kenma takes an unnoticeable deep breath, “What’s your first name?”

“Oh, I guess we never really introduced ourselves with our given name,” Kuroo chuckles at a thought.

“If I tell you first, can you tell me yours?” he adds.

“Sure, it’s ok,” the semi blond replies.

Somehow, the short pause felt like an eternity for Kenma. It’s just him asking what another person’s given name is, not the end of the world. It feels like the same feeling he’s been having since the beginning of this night but with more intensity. Like when an emcee is about to announce the winners of a major competition kind of feeling, or just simply like waiting for the right timing of the attack on your last level in a boss fight. Either way, it’s making Kenma’s guts do the knots and turns.

It was giving him discomfort the whole duration of the night, but it turned into this tingling feeling when he was alone with Kuroo. It’s like the violent sea during a storm with a big tidal wave coming his way… slowly calming down.

Speaking of Kuroo, everything went in slow motion after the raven head replies.

“It’s Tetsurou, Kuroo _Tetsurou,_ ”

At once, it felt like the wave crashed but immediately calms down like the crash only caused a ripple on the still waters of the sea surface. Kenma felt, oddly enough, _relief._

_Ah… the strange feeling he’s been getting indeed feels like relief…_

Like he doesn’t need to be restless about something anymore.

The tingling in his stomach disappeared, it turned something of a light feeling to him now.

“You?” Kuroo snaps Kenma out from his slow-motion reverie, the second year replies,

“Kenma,”

Kuroo smiles, not a cocky smirk or some sort, a genuine smile this time like the one before heading to the store. Kenma’s chest leaped as if fireworks exploded out of nowhere.

“It’s good to get to know you Kozume Kenma, hope we can hang out again next time,” Kuroo waves goodbye as he turns to the direction of his home. Kenma waves back, “Same here, Kuroo… _Tetsurou_ ,” he smiles back.

Both of them turn their back on each other as they continued their way back to their own houses.

Kenma arrives at home, calling out to his parents to let them know he’s home and removes his outdoor shoes, and wears his indoor ones. As he passes by the kitchen, he sees that his parents are in a good mood than usual, which prompts Kenma to ask. “What’s with the positivity,”

“Your father’s proposal was approved,” Kenma simply smiles as they both hug their son in a sandwich. “That’s nice,”

“It’s all because of our lucky boy,” his mom exclaims, hugging his son tighter as his father parts, laughing heartedly with glee. “Mom, only grandma calls me that. it doesn't even make sense,”

“No, it’s true. You are our gift, honey. You inspired the idea and now it’s a reality,”

Kenma’s thoughts lingered back to what Kuroo said before, ‘Maybe luck is the result of the wish we make for those we care about or something,’

He smiles at that thought.

*** 

Kuroo arrives home, removing his shoes and putting on the ones he uses for indoors and headed straight to his room and put his bag down and his jacket off before heading towards the kitchen to attend to the groceries he just got.

‘Mom must have a night shift or something,’ Kuroo thinks, and as if on cue, the door bursts open, revealing an unusually excited Mrs. Kuroo. Upon seeing her son, she immediately rushed to his side and gave him the tightest bear hug he ever received while squealing in delight.

“Mom, what’s up?”

“Tetsu-kun! I finally got a promotion in my job.”

Kuroo’s eyes widened in surprise. “That’s great, mom!” He exclaims as he hugs back. “For a while, I thought I was going to get fired again, and now here I am,” She says, letting go, wiping the tear that formed on her eyes from happiness.

“Now, where’s the grocery? I’m cooking us a feast for today as a celebration,”

Kuroo remembers the first time he saw his mom again when he arrived in Tokyo 4 years ago. She was waiting for him that time with a big smile on her face and an open arm. Kuroo didn’t know what to do at that moment, his mixed feelings preventing him from thinking straight but as soon as he found himself in his mom’s arms, it felt like home. It was stressful and frustrating at first, living with someone who he treasured so much that left him and now back again. It took a lot of time for them to get close again and it has been alright since.

Seeing his mom so happy makes him warm on his chest too, considering he moved in with her to help her feel happy again in the first place.

Kuroo took his time fixing the groceries he brought home as his mom hummed in front of the stove while cooking. He smiles gently at the sight before returning to his own stuff to do.

*** 

The raven head flopped down to his bed as he sighs, the exhaustion catching up to him as he let himself relax on the cushions. Kuroo looked up to his ceiling, seeing the streetlights peeking through his window.

The day has been rather eventful if Kuroo says so himself. He recalls everything up until parting with Kenma as they went home. Kuroo admits that he’s feeling a little spaced out for the whole day even though nothing is wrong. Just by waking up in the morning felt like something big was about to happen but there’s nothing major about the day. He even watched the morning news with his mom just to check.

‘Come to think of it… the whole time I was with Kozume-kun made me really think about something,’ Kuroo thought. Recalling a certain memory from his time with Kenma and a moment from when he was still hanging out with Daishou to make up for when he unknowingly got him in trouble because of the portrait…

 _His eyes kept sparkling… like the stars._ Kuroo remembers his features clearly.

_“Because it is something our ancestry must take into consideration. The abnormal amount of luck this person brings is an indication…” Suguru faces Kuroo._

_“That this myth exists” he finishes._

Kuroo turned to his side to look at his phone, seeing Bokuto already made a group chat for the four of them. For a second, his heart jumped. He just scrolled up to see that there’s not much of a message to see so he closed his phone before closing his eyes, trying to catch some sleep.

_” I adore you, Tetsurou… I really do,” a hand caressed his left cheek, feeling its warmth after being exposed to the winter air for the whole day._

_“And I you…_

_Kenma….”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you guys liked Chapter 3. so the two finally met and yeah, the majority of the last part is from Kenma's point of view.
> 
> See you next week for Chapter 4!
> 
> MERRY CHRISTMAS!


	4. Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bokuaka short
> 
> Akaashi felt hope to achieve happiness again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! so basically this is like a short intermission or something like that. AND IT's BOKUAKA! so yeaaaaah, I hope you guys enjoy it! I'll be editing this from time to time.

_“What I simply wish is a life where we can do as we please… that would be hugging you, kissing you, and loving you until the day I die. Spending my days with you would truly make me the happiest man alive,” Koutarou caresses the other’s cheek, gazing into his eyes full of love and yearning._

Akaashi had no idea that he’d be spending more time with the Fukurodani third-year on his way home. It’s not like he’s complaining, his companion may be loud and a little talkative at the moment but he doesn’t really mind. He’s a second-year and this noisy acquaintance is a third-year, he’s aware that he should be polite since there’s nothing he can do when they’re going straight to the same neighborhood.

“…Then our manager stole the whole plate of barbecue and shared some with me. The team never gave us free snacks after that,” Bokuto lets out a laugh after concluding his story. Akaashi continued walking, humming in response after the nth story for the night, not really sure how to respond without sounding automated. Not because it’s already getting on his nerves, it’s because he wasn’t sure how Bokuto still kept on babbling though his company at the moment looked a little tired and bored.

“Hey, Akaashi-kun,” Bokuto calls, his voice a little bit quieter.

“Hmm?”

“Why’d you move back from America? It should be great there, assuming that’s why you moved in the first place,”

The whole time Akaashi conversed with Bokuto, it’s always the owl head asking about what’s it like in America and then they would shift to volleyball and other random stuff. Akaashi never prepared for an answer to this specific question since he felt like he doesn’t need to, considering his company that night was simply on and on about volleyball.

For the whole duration of the night with his newfound fast friends, he simply didn’t care about the reasons why he shouldn’t be happy for coming back. That moment in the ramen house, he felt peace even if he knows it’s going to be short-lived, he enjoyed it. Akaashi thought back to how lighter his chest felt in a long time since coming home and now, he’s about to be reminded of the reasons why they were here in the first place, just to provide an answer.

Akaashi unknowingly fidgeted at Bokuto’s question, not realizing only a little time had passed.

“We moved, because of…. Reasons,” Bokuto blinked, catching the sight of Akaashi’s uncertainty. “Umm, my sister,” Akaashi stammers unintentionally, briefly seeing the image of his bedridden sister in his mind.

Bokuto’s next reply completely surprised the second-year.

“Oh cool! You have a sister? I have sisters too, but they have their own jobs now, while I’m still here in high school,” Akaashi simply looks at him and was about to add something when he was interrupted.

“I understand how hard it must be being away from the people you care about. But look on the bright side! You’re here in Japan with your sister now, you get to spend more time with her,” The third-year adds. Akaashi feels a shiver run down his spine upon hearing the last part, grimacing as he looks away from Bokuto.

‘It’s not even close to that,’ Akaashi thinks, contemplating on the part if he has to clarify some few things for that.

“No, Bokuto-san, I… she grew up in America, with me so we were basically on each other’s side our whole lives,” Akaashi says, leaving Bokuto with a face with hints of embarrassment, growing into a more obvious expression. ‘That’s a weird reaction,’ The young setter raises an eyebrow as he begins to study his companion’s shifting expression.

“Oh, is that so?” Bokuto scratches the back of his neck somehow deep in his thought, looking away from the other. As Akaashi looks closely at Bokuto’s face, the embarrassment is now clearly noticeable. For a moment, Akaashi felt a pang in his chest, replacing whatever was making him feel melancholic into something oddly familiar. Like he knows what’s about to happen next.

“I thought I got that right, I sounded awesome for a moment there,” Akaashi hears Bokuto mutter.

“Pfft,” Akaashi lets out unintentionally, which, unfortunately, adds to the third-year’s dropping mood.

“No, wait,” Akaashi tries but the damage is done, this owl is already in a downer state. “You should’ve at least told me earlier! Akaashi-kun,” Bokuto whines, pouting.

The young setter lets out a sigh, realizing what he has done.

‘Maybe, I shouldn’t have done that,’ Akaashi thought, raising his hands to pat this moody owl on the shoulder. “It’s alright if you go it wrong Bokuto-san. I should’ve finished my sentence sooner,” Akaashi reassures.

Bokuto grumbles to himself as he looks at Akaashi’s direction, “Man, I must have looked uncool at that one,”

“No, you weren’t,” Akaashi replies, another reassurance in addition to the improving mood of the third-year.

“Really?!” It was like life came back to him as he lit up.

“You were trying to be comforting Bokuto-san,” Akaashi says.

“Well, it’s because for a second there, you looked like you were about to cry or something,” Bokuto answers.

Akaashi was surprised he noticed, even he didn’t know he was being a little expressive with his emotion at that moment. Well, since it was a heavy topic for him to think about, it’s likely for someone to feel a little melancholic when something life-changing made them move countries once again just to attain their ideal happiness.

Akaashi gave up on the thought of happiness long ago when he learned that the person he cared about is near her edge of the line. Bokuto here must be confused or clueless about a few things now, now that he’s seen Akaashi in an expression that looked like he’s about to break, he can tell there’s a part of this young grey-haired owl head that wants to know. And Akaashi can only provide the answer.

Akaashi takes a deep breath before speaking.

“My sister…” Akaashi begins again, Bokuto looks at Akaashi with pure intent to only listen. “Says she’ll be happy when she gets to see Japan in her own eyes,” Akaashi smiles, a memory flashing in his mind. The days where he used to tell his sister stories about the cherry trees that blossoms during spring and how it serves as a symbol to new beginnings. The hectic urban life of Tokyo and how, even though it’s bustling and a little messy, it’s still home. And of course, the cozy warmth of kotatsu during winters, where young Akaashi would sleep underneath most of the time as the cold season takes over.

She never experienced those, so it was up to him to tell her all about it, let her experience those in a way through his brother’s words and stories, while living in a different environment with a different culture. And now she’s about to experience them firsthand, but who knows how much she’ll see with her current state.

She can’t even breathe on her own anymore…

Melancholy once again filled the young setter’s heart upon recalling those memories but was interrupted by Bokuto.

“I bet she’s feeling the happiest right now, now that you’re here in Japan. She must be really excited when she saw Tokyo for the first time,” Akaashi blinks, completely wrecking his melancholic train of thought.

“She was. She still is,” Akaashi replies, side glancing at Bokuto afterward, noticing how Bokuto somehow doesn’t look like someone who gets tired easily. He’s cheerful, loud, and really... welcoming.

They slowed down for a second when Bokuto stopped in front of a house. “Your house?” Akaashi asks, glancing over at the house right in front of them.

“Yep! You live in the same neighborhood, yes?” Bokuto asks.

“Umm, yeah. Just a few blocks from here,” Akaashi points towards the directions to his own home. Bokuto nods. “Hey, there’s a park around this area. We should play volleyball sometime!” The third-year suggests. “Umm, sure, we can play,” Akaashi replies, earning a grin from the other.

“Great! It’s nice knowing you Akaashi…?”

“Keiji,”

“Akaashi Keiji! I’m _Koutarou_ Bokuto, by the way,” Bokuto answers. “And to be honest, I don’t like seeing you frown, frowning makes you look… I don’t know, boring?” Akaashi narrows his eyes at the comment. What a bold statement, the setter thought, not really sure if he should even express a slight annoyance on that one after hearing the next sentence that came out of Bokuto’s mouth.

“I prefer seeing you frown less, so you got to go home and see your sister now! It was nice knowing you,”

For a moment, the young setter felt another pang in his chest. Seeing Bokuto giving him a wide grin as he disappears from their gate.

After the creaking of the gate stopped, Akaashi was left in silence, having a small realization to himself. He simply turns in the direction of his home and took a deep breath, taking in the fact that he needs to put on his big brother pants and take care of his sister. He checks his watch to see he’s actually half an hour late for coming home. Akaashi does have a schedule and routines that he follows, well, today’s an exception.

Akaashi continues to walk home, going through the events of the week, since coming home from America. He arrives in front of the house he was so used to seeing back when he was only 7. He enters the gate, the metals creaking loudly as he closes it from behind him and slowly walks towards the steps of their porch.

Ever since he started school, going home always gives him the feeling of the heavyweight of anticipation on his chest. Thinking that going out to head school, saying goodbye to his sister would be their last interaction, it’s something he didn’t realize breaking him little by little. Days had already passed and the feeling never changes, that is until he’s arrived home a few minutes late than usual after being out with his newfound friends.

Akaashi hates to admit, he didn’t want to go home yet. That’s why he didn’t turn Kuroo’s invitation, even though he wanted to. There’s a certain feeling that this day is somehow different than the rest, the second-year couldn’t quite put a finger on it so he just went with the flow.

‘Whatever it is, I hope it’s something good,’

“I’m ho-,” Akaashi freezes, seeing an alarmingly familiar person. The one in a white coat with an open bag, you could see the medical equipment peeking out. His father is standing in front of the doctor as well. Mixed emotions came running through his body, shudders all over his skin and the shivers that run down his spine becoming even more uncomfortable.

‘Is this it? Could it be that this morning’s breakfast was my last with Kaori?’ Akaashi couldn’t help but think. He’s still frozen in place, like a still statue…

_‘I prefer seeing you frown less, so you got to go home and see your sister now!’_

Bokuto’s voice came across his mind. Of all the thoughts that could have invaded his mind at this moment, it had to be Bokuto.

‘How am I supposed to see my sister now?’ His mind ran through with this sentence in repeat, only to be stopped as soon as he sees his mother in his field of view.

“Keiji!” Akaashi’s mother ran to him, engulfing him in the tightest hug he has ever received. It was only a few seconds when he caught a glimpse of his mother’s tears, and… smile?

‘Mom’s smiling?’ Akaashi wondered. “Mom... is Kaori…?” Akaashi couldn’t finish the sentence, tears threatening to fall any second now.

“She’s going to be alright,” His mother finishes. And just like that, it’s like a thick fog disappearing on thin air.

It felt like rain, showering down a burning field. Like a storm finally passing, leaving only the calm side of this part of nature. His mother’s embrace, something about the grip calmed him down. Akaashi hugs back in disbelief, he didn’t even notice himself running upstairs, barging inside his sister’s room. Seeing that his sister, Kaori was still attached to the tubes and needles, the feeling of unease is still there.

“The infection miraculously disappeared over the day. Her health could relapse anytime, that’s why we still need to monitor her regularly. But it’s indeed promising that she might live past 18 years of her age. In other words, she’s going to recover well and live normally,” Tears fell freely from Akaashi’s cheeks upon hearing the doctor’s words downstairs. He could hear his parents’ cry of happiness as they thank the doctor continuously.

Akaashi couldn’t believe it, after all those painful years, his sister will finally live like a normal girl, and in Japan too. He wipes the tears from his cheeks as he chuckles in between, choking on his sobs, joining his parents as they cry out in glee. “Kaori will be fine, thank God!” His father exclaims as he embraces his wife to his side.

Akaashi watches the scene unfold before him, his eyes still couldn’t contain the overwhelming happiness that is taking over. Years ago, Akaashi doesn’t want to believe that he’ll be happy again _when_ his sister dies, but now, a train of thought with plans for the future runs in his mind. He wasn’t sure where to start looking, but all he knows… that he’s happy.

That night, the life of the Akaashi family changed forever.

*** 

Akaashi lies on his futon as the sound of his sister’s breathing and the machine beeps fill the whole room. He decided to watch over Kaori for the night, to make sure nothing bad would happen. It’s still early, and his body is still shaking at the fact that his life just changed forever.

He smiles upon seeing the silhouette of his sister and reaches to his side to grab his phone.

‘Wait…’ Akaashi stops on his tracks, sighing. ‘Even if I tell the others from the US about this, they wouldn’t care any less. They don’t even know about Kaori anyway…’ Akaashi thought, feeling dejected about this part, slowly putting his phone back to where he got it.

As if on cue, Bokuto sent a message suddenly. Not directly, but on a group chat. Akaashi smiles at the sight of this and proceeded to send a message upon opening it.

Bokuto, a truly energetic person, as Akaashi describes. A big ball of sunshine but there are hints of stupidity in him. Akaashi doesn’t really mind, though he wants to point out a few mistakes. The second-year thinks back to when they were having dinner at the ramen house. Akaashi was so sure he was only faking the smile, but it wasn’t. it felt natural.

All he could think of at those times were thoughts about how he’s going to mask his empty feeling on the dinner table to look more presentable, shoving the bad thoughts as much as possible and of course, volleyball. But it seemed impossible to notice that he was simply distracting himself from his reality.

Somehow it didn’t feel like a distraction, it felt _too_ natural. He didn’t regret coming with his captain to eat dinner with them, since he also met 3 new amazing people that welcomed him more than anyone else he interacted with after setting foot on Japanese soil.

Thinking back to when they were still in the US, Akaashi thought he was going to be the outcast from the rest, the one who doesn’t belong. He remembers how he set all those fears aside for his sister. He remembers the inevitable anxiety on the first day of school, but as soon as he sees the volleyball club, that one thing that he loved, it calmed him down.

He remembers joining and participating in the tryouts, and meeting Kuroo. He remembers meeting Bokuto. That’s right… he knew there’s something different about this day, it was because of him.

_“I don’t care what they say about me and you. I was taught that love is for everyone. You and I are part of everyone,”_

Bokuto stood in front of Akaashi back in that ramen house and their gazes were locked on each other for a few seconds. Akaashi wasn’t sure what to do then, he just simply continues moving forward. Not realizing just simply looking at Bokuto, it really replaced the bad thoughts with something new, something _familiar_.

“Hey! Hey! Hey GUYS! Let’s hang out sometime again in the future okay? that’s why I made this group chat!” Bokuto says in his message. Akaashi can oddly hear his ridiculously loud voice in his head.

“That sounds great, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi replies, which was immediately replied by Bokuto and seen by Kenma.

The group chat as of the moment only consisted of Bokuto telling all of them basically what happened on the way back home, he knew he doesn’t need to reply as much as he should. The setter simply followed what Kenma is currently doing, keeping up, making sure that his messages were seen. (though he feels that this semi-blonde already fell asleep with his inbox open).

He knew it was also his time to sleep. As Akaashi was about to bid goodnight to the group, he receives a private message from Bokuto himself. He opens it immediately, to see a demeanor of text changing from overly expressive to sincere and brief.

Brief like: “Hey Akaashi! How are you holding up? Have you spent time with your sister?”

Akaashi’s heart leaped at the message and began typing a reply.

“I’m holding up just fine, Bokuto-san. But no, I haven’t spent time with my sister,” He replies, his eyes darting to his sister’s direction instinctively, smiling softly at her direction, knowing that she is going to live normally after all those years.

“That’s ok Akaashi! There’s always tomorrow,” Akaashi smiles.

‘Yes, there is tomorrow,’

_“Of course, since Tetsu-kun is my official bodyguard, he’d follow me anywhere,” Koutarou states._

_Keiji simply stands there, his arms resting on his back. “But there’s this person who I really admire and adore. And this person is the one I want to follow me, always,” Koutarou looks at the younger man with a soft smile on his face._

_“How many times do I have to remind you? It’s not the right time. Who knows what today will bring with what’s going on right now? I can’t let anything happen that would destroy you,” Keiji replies, not meeting the other one’s gaze._

_“Then tomorrow…”_

_“What?”_

_“That’s okay, if not today… then I’ll ask you again tomorrow! Certainly, you would have a different answer then,” Koutarou exclaims. “No, that’s not-,”_

_“Whatever you say Keiji, I won’t listen. If we get through today, then tomorrow will be a good one,” Koutarou walks closer, their faces almost a few inches apart._

_“I can’t wait for you to say yes to me,” Koutarou smiles._

_Keiji too… ‘Me too, if only I could wish for tomorrow to be the mark of the end of wars,’ He thought._

_“Even if I am yet to give my answer, I would still follow you wherever you go,”_

**END OF CHAPTER 4**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So yeah, in this AU Akaashi has a sister.
> 
> Next Chapter tomorrow! See you then! I apologize for the grammatical errors and typos. Editing can be tiring T^T
> 
> I hope you guys liked it!


	5. You just... Make sense to me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma and Kuroo meet again. Let's just say... Kenma got a little too confident.
> 
> ***
> 
> Suguru solves a, rather, simple riddle and meets his Great Elder once again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So here's chapter 5! Hope you'll enjoy it. There's a lot of parts in this chapter that's for the lore part. But there's still platonic Kuroken, don't worry.
> 
> ENJOY!!

“Okay class, don’t forget to read chapters 4 and 5 and we’ll be having a short quiz tomorrow,” The teacher says, her voice filling the whole room, hearing it loud and clear even though Kenma has his ears pressed on his wooden desk surface. The semi-blonde blows the stray strand of hair constantly falling on his nose, ticking him. He looks outside the window, realizing how boring school actually is. ‘And here I thought Fukurodani is going to be different. Schools are boring,’ Kenma thinks as he lets out a huff, trying his best to stay awake.

Nothing much happened over the weeks, well, except for the two Nekoma friends he made back in the first week still reaching out through their group chat, becoming a usual routine every night. It was a little mundane if he says so honestly.

Back in their first interaction, Kenma wasn’t participating all that much and now that he thinks about it, maybe he’s right about the part where he thinks that Kuroo is going to be that one person he’s going to come across once a month.

The bell rang, it’s almost time for club activities. ‘Finally, after practice, I can go home, and hopefully find my games somewhere,’ Kenma thinks, already fantasizing about finishing the game he bought the other day (but was taken away). ‘Maybe I can defeat the boss when I initiate the attack first, that should be it,’ Kenma thinks, imagining the scenario in his head.

He sighs, contemplating back on his actions for choosing to play the game in the living room at 2 am. He regrets having made that decision, if he only knew it would result in his mother taking **all** his games away for a week then he shouldn’t have done it.

Well, he was well aware of the consequence but he took the risk anyway. He just gets worked up sometimes since the TV in his room somewhat made him unsatisfied to the point he resorted to moving his games to the living room using the larger TV.

He pouts at the thought and sighs once again, thinking how he’s going to live without games for a week if his mom really did her best to hide them all away.

“Kenma, it’s time to clean up!” His classmate calls, Kenma raises his head from the desk. “Uh, yes,” He responds with a lazy tone before tidying up his desk before helping out.

All of those volleyball practices during club were nothing but hectic and eventful for Kenma. There’s always something new he learns about his teammates, especially Bokuto. After a few practices, he’s finally noticed how this owl is growing attached to the young second-year.

He doesn’t want that attachment. 24/7 attention coming from a noisy third-year? Nope. Not only that, his emo mode too, Kenma has seen this side of their ace and it wasn’t really his thing to try, and does his best to cheer him up. Well, his other teammates are on it but it doesn’t usually end right away.

“KOZUME-KUN!”

Speak of the devil.

Kenma looks towards the direction of where the familiar voice came from. Seeing Bokuto standing in the classroom doorway with his big burst of energy radiating off of his aura.

‘So this practice is going to be another one of those…’ Kenma sighs as Bokuto waves his arms with enthusiasm to see his junior setter.

*** 

“So Kozume-kun, Oh by the way! Can I call you Kenma? Coz Kozume-kun is too long,”

The two of them walk down the hall on their way to the gym.

“Yeah, you can call me that,” Kenma replies with a nod.

“Kenma-kun, let’s hang out with Akaashi and Kuroo after practice,”

Ah, the sequel to the dinner at the ramen house. It’s not like Kenma hasn’t anticipated for this to happen. Bokuto has been talking about Akaashi for weeks and it’s most likely for another hangout to happen sometime near the weekend.

“Wouldn’t it be tiring to walk around after practice?” Kenma narrows his eyes, already imagining how it would go down.

“Well… yes,” The third-year replies. Kenma’s face scrunches at that response.

“But don’t worry, since it’s Friday, we’re not gonna practice much today,” Bokuto adds.

“Even so, it will still be tiring,” Kenma lets out a sigh. “Hmm, maybe it’s because it’s easy for you to get tired and you lack stamina,” Bokuto taps on his chin. Kenma looks at his senior and draws his eyebrow together to express his irritation at the comment.

“You should exercise more,” the third-year adds and smiles. Kenma gives him one last look before returning his gaze downwards.

“Don’t wanna,” The young semi-blonde replies, earning a disapproving gesture from the third-year. “If you’re like that then how are you supposed to get stronger,” Bokuto crosses his arms.

“I don’t need to be stronger,” Kenma replies, it sounded more like a whine.

“You’re our regular setter now, and being strong is like a requirement,”

“I don’t like getting tired,” Kenma sighs. “Strategies are enough for me,” Kenma finishes with a flat tone.

“Hmm, we always do win whenever you suggest something we do,”

“It’s also because you’re a strong player, Bokuto-san,” Kenma reaches for his pocket only to realize that his PSP is still somewhere hidden in the house.

“Really!? You think I’m a strong player?” Bokuto leans forward in enthusiasm, startling the younger one.

“Uh… yes,”

Bokuto holds his head high after the semi-blonde’s reply, “I wish I could show my volleyball skills to Akaashi,”

‘This again…’

“Bokuto-san, you keep talking about him a lot of times after your meeting and you’re still talking about him,” Kenma points out, finally, hoping to find a reason behind this routine topic every club period.

“Eh?? Really? Were you counting?” The third-year’s cheeks already turning red.

“No, but it’s all I hear from you whenever we have a conversation,”

“Um, this is going to sound cheesy but, hear me out ok?” Bokuto’s usual loud voice toned down a little after the sentence, somehow Kenma is getting used to this side of him (since he has done this a lot whenever he talks about a certain dark-haired second-year setter). But it’s still unusual for him to witness this, considering he doesn’t see their ace the type to soften up for someone else.

“Akaashi gives me this feeling of, I don’t know… this warm feeling. Like I found something,”

Kenma raises an eyebrow. This is definitely a new side of their captain Kenma is seeing right now.

“What? Like your soulmate or something?” Kenma says, not really being serious at the conversation. Upon hearing this certain word, Bokuto perks up. “YES! Something like that,” He responds with a chirpy tone.

At that moment, Kenma has a realization that his captain, too, sounds like a dork. ‘Gee, no wonder Kuroo and him are best friends. They literally share a brain cell,’ Kenma thought.

“You believe in soulmates?” Kenma asks, both of them arriving in the clubroom, seeing that both of them were the first ones, they started changing into their gym clothes.

“Yes, I believe in them! My sister used to tell me stories about being one soul born in two different bodies and those lucky ones who get to find their soulmates end up the happiest,” Bokuto rambles.

“Sounds childish,” Kenma mutters, “Hey I heard that!”

“Do you not believe in those type of stuff Kenma? Well, you do seem like the analytical type who only relies on logic or such” Bokuto adds, putting on his shirt before closing his locker.

Kenma felt like he just experienced déjà vu. “I-,” The semi-blonde pauses.

“I believe in luck,” Kenma finishes, having a hard time putting on his shirt at the moment, getting stuck on his arms as he put his shirt on the wrong way. “What have I done,” The younger one mutters. “I take it back, I don’t believe in it,” he sighs, taking his shirt off to try again.

“Ha? You know Kenma, sometimes I get you, sometimes I don’t,”

“Because you don’t pay attention well,” Kenma deadpans, finally putting his shirt on correctly with no problems. “Hey! I do pay attention!” Bokuto whines.

“Then… you said you felt like you found your soulmate but you only met Akaashi once, right? You probably concluded so fast that you didn’t pay attention to the detail if you were simply happy with his company or if you just got excited when you spend time with him,”

“Whoa! when you put it like that, it’s like you’re bitter about something,”

“It’s just, I’m having a hard time believing on things with no foundation whatsoever,” For example, ‘soulmates’.

“Maybe you should start believing more,” Bokuto suggests, finishing putting his volleyball shoes. “I believe in luck and it’s just that,” Kenma replies, putting his shoes on as well. “You know, weird miraculous stuff happens when you believe. I believe Akaashi is my soulmate and I’m going to hold onto that belief until I prove it,” Bokuto holds his head high. ‘He’s being confident again,’ Kenma thought.

“Things might even go _your way_ if you do believe, like in general terms,” he added.

“Are we still talking about soulmates?”

“We’re talking about soulmates?”

“Such an airhead,” Kenma mumbles, “I HEARD THAT!”

Kenma pauses for a moment thinking about what Bokuto just said.

‘Our Lucky Boy’, his family would call him, remembering that it all came from a Legend’s story because he shows similarities on the myth’s features. It’s just a coincidence, as Kenma was told, but he also went with what the myth is and what it’s all about. A mythical person that brings luck wherever they go and the ‘stars live in their eyes’… (‘That part doesn’t even make sense’ Kenma comments at the thought.)

Kenma never really thought about his lucky aura often since it never really did hold a significant part to his everyday life, now that he’s grown up. It was just him passing by and a lot of good things would happen around him, becoming a common scene to witness. He was a kid when he believed that he really is an entity that brings good luck wherever he goes but it stopped when he realizes that good luck is not enough to save him from getting bullied every week at school.

That this good luck just brings luck to those bad people he doesn’t like, and he wouldn’t benefit from it. Growing up, Kenma also thought that believing in things like this is indeed childish.

What made him believe in luck again? Maybe a certain scene that went down back in Miyagi made him believe again, but only to an extent that he’d keep it for himself. And of course, a certain book that he received from his grandmother about the legend that he grew to love served as a reminder. Kenma believes in luck, simply because he is his family’s lucky boy and he’s keeping it to himself only.

But right now, something inside him wants to tell his third-year senior. His mouth gapes, only to stop himself from saying anything, and as if on cue, their other teammates arrive.

“I heard we’re having a practice match with Nekoma in the next week,” Konoha says upon entering, Bokuto’s eyes widened. “REALLY?” the grey head exclaims.

“You finally have a chance to show Akaashi-kun your skills in volleyball, Bokuto-san,” Kenma says, watching their captain jump around in excitement.

*** 

Kuroo usually doesn’t really look forward to going on a practice match against Fukurodani Academy just to see Bokuto since they always see each other every week. With Kuroo feeling a little excited for the match, he just assumes it’s because of their recruits and a chance to see how Fukurodani’s new team plays in a match.

Kuroo recalls his last interaction with Kenma. The time they parted that evening after dinner at the ramen house. He recalls him finally telling him his given name, which sent shivers down his spine. Not the bad type of shivers, but the one that makes him feel like he’s somewhat of a missing piece in a puzzle that he used to try to solve.

Ever since seeing Kenma, Kuroo couldn’t help but notice his whole surroundings shifting into something different, that was only since he was in a state of focus at that time, like he sees things one person usually doesn’t notice right away. The atmosphere of the whole place just simply gives off this feeling of positivity that it almost seemed fake.

Also, much to his surprise, Akaashi didn’t feel left out or anything, making him happy for bringing him along. Bokuto was rather excited as well, thinking back, the vibe could have been a thought that reminded him that he accomplished what he wanted for Bokuto’s happiness.

It was an odd phenomenon if he says so himself. It’s not that he wasn’t caught in the moment to miss these details; he was only focused on the pudding head that night, which put him in that state. And of course, made him think about a few stuff.

Kuroo knew something is different with Kenma, and as he laid on his bed that night after the dinner, he somehow felt like he figured out a part of a riddle. He remembers that one time with Daishou when he was told that a certain myth exists along with the story that comes with it.

That’s right, it was ever since he laid eyes on Kenma, things seemed to have shifted into place. It was natural for Kuroo to remember a specific memory about a similar myth, considering Kenma gave him that vibe. Like he was an answer to a question that bugged him for so long.

But it’s impossible, he thought, recalling another memory where Daishou told him to stop ‘helping’ him on a certain thing related to it. He was told that day that it’s just ‘childish desires’ and that his family were simply superstitious and believers of that certain history. Kuroo was left with so many questions after that until the day he starts to stop caring about it.

Then Kenma came by, not only everything around him would start to make sense, but also a few lingering lost thoughts and ideas in Kuroo’s mind as well, slowly coming into place. But Kuroo doesn’t know the right words to describe this yet.

“Kuroo-san, you look like you’re in deep thought,” Akaashi points out. “Oh… wait, I was?” Kuroo shifts his weight to his other leg, already growing tired of waiting for the other two to join them to this hangout that Bokuto had planned at the last minute.

Akaashi nods.

“I’m just thinking about captain responsibilities,” Kuroo replies, using his captain title as an excuse. Akaashi simply nods again, checking his phone to see new messages from Bokuto. “They’re here,”

Kuroo tensed up for a second before relaxing. ‘I’m going to see Kenma again?’

“Hey, guys!” Bokuto’s loud voice was heard from across the station. “Ah, there’s that idiot, better late than never” Kuroo scoffs as the Fukurodani duo walks up to them, Bokuto fist-bumping with Kuroo (who is narrowing his eyes at the Owl airhead).

“We got caught up in practice and I literally had to drag this guy here on the way to the station,” Bokuto says, stretching his arms. Kenma raises an eyebrow.

“You were distracted by the volleyball kids near our school. I was the one who dragged you to the station,” Kenma corrects.

“Kenma!!” Kuroo slightly flinches…

‘Oh, they’re both at first name basis?’ Kuroo thinks, looking at Bokuto and Kenma. Well, a lot can happen in weeks.

“So what are the plans for today?” Akaashi asks, interrupting Kuroo’s thoughts. This made Bokuto flinch a bit, probably realizing that he needs to figure out where to go when he invites friends out to hang out.

Kuroo squints his eyes with an irritated smirk plastered on his face. “You didn’t plan anything, did you?” Bokuto seems to shrink at Kuroo’s scary gaze.

“What’s important is that we have each other…?” Bokuto laughs nervously under the glare of this tall raven head.

“Anywhere is okay with me,” Akaashi comments raising his hand to hopefully catch the third-years’ attention.

“So where do you wanna go Bokuto?” Kuroo asks, his dark aura still emitting from him, to express his annoyance in the situation. ‘Seriously, this is why I can’t let Bokuto plan anything whenever we hang out,’ Kuroo reminds himself.

“Umm,” Kenma speaks, everyone’s head turning to the semi-blonde, making him cringe for a second. “We can go to an arcade,” Kenma replies, his eyes sparkling with hope. _His eyes are literally sparling._

‘Not a bad idea,’ Kuroo thought.

“That’s a good idea Kenma-kun!” Bokuto exclaims. A gut-clenching feeling invaded Kuroo’s chest. ‘Huh, that’s odd,’

“Arcade is fine with me,” Akaashi comments. “Then it’s settled, we’re heading to an arcade,” Kuroo announces, his eyes darting towards Bokuto, glaring at him. A reminder that he should be in charge of planning stuff like this from now on. Bokuto nods in response, clearly catching the message.

‘But seriously, what is up with Bokuto to suddenly host a hang out in last minute. He could’ve said something a day before or anything,’ Kuroo thought as the four begins to head towards the arcade they planned to go to.

“It’s good to see you Bokuto-san,” Bokuto’s mouth corners almost reaching to his ears. “Me too!!”

Kuroo raises an eyebrow at the sight of these two, walking together closely. Now that he noticed it, he subconsciously looked for Kenma, finding him a few steps behind. Kuroo slows his pace a bit to match his speed with Kenma.

The third-year never really anticipated seeing the second-year once again but he’s glad anyway. “Bokuto doesn’t usually plan on having impromptu meetups. Did something happen?” Kuroo leans his head down a bit. “You’re his best friend, I thought you’d know?” Kenma replies.

“He didn’t tell me anything,” Kuroo sighs, not the answer he was hoping for. There was a small pause between them before Kenma speaks up again. “Bokuto-san and Akaashi-kun kept in touch and he’s been talking about him all week. We’re just the same, having no idea what the hell happened,”

Kuroo chuckles in response, “Maybe he’ll tell me sooner or later. I’m sure,”

“Whatever you say,”

The four of them arrived in the arcade, the pairs going on their separate ways after collecting their coins. Kuroo sees how Kenma looked so caught up at the sight of the whole arcade, he was literally sparkling all over.

“So,” Kuroo began, not getting the semi-blonde’s attention. He leans down on the younger one’s ear level, making Kenma self-aware at the sudden invasion, he flinches. Instinctively turning towards Kuroo’s face almost in contact with his own skin. “What made you choose the arcade?” Kuroo asks, completely making Kenma forget the embarrassment that was threatening to take over.

‘At least I’m successful at catching his attention,’ Kuroo thinks. “I like games,” Kenma simply answers, walking towards an arcade box, his eyes still sparkling with interest. “I thought you have dozens back at your home, you gamer,”

Kenma fidgets a bit, biting his lip, thinking about something. “Mom took them away,” the semi-blonde mutters. Kuroo blinks at the realization. ‘ah, what a poor child,’ the raven head thought.

“Then you go ahead and enjoy yourself here. Certainly, your mom can’t take the whole arcade away,” Kuroo chuckles. Kenma looks up to him with his eyes, still sparkling with interest, as if he’s trying to communicate to him through his cat-like eyes. Kuroo’s chest clenches again, but not the bad kind.

This one’s… nice.

‘The hell, he looked cute for a second there,’ Kuroo admits to himself.

Kenma practically floated to one of the consoles and pushed a coin in and started pressing on the buttons, his eyes glued to the screen with sheer interest. Kuroo was simply captivated by how this young setter looked so focused. Kuroo smiles at the view, rather than playing on his own. He’d rather watch Kenma play. Well, since his gameplay is quite satisfying if Kuroo says so honestly. ‘Such gaming skills…’

“Winner!” The console announced, Kenma straightens up and looks at Kuroo, “Let’s go to the next one,” he said, not even bothering to wait for the older one’s reply as he went straight to the console next to the previous one. “Sure, sure,” Kuroo simply replies as he followed Kenma, watching him already starting a new game.

This continued for the next consoles Kenma plays, setting new high scores. Even earning a few viewers as well. Somehow this semi-blonde’s plan probably involves finishing everything in this place. Is he like… speed running? Well, It’s only been almost an hour…

“So… are you the type that smashes buttons just to win or…” Kuroo trails off, realizing he’s not gonna get an answer from the second-year. He’s really caught in the moment. Kuroo waves his hands on Kenma’s side, noticing how he’s completely being ignored. Well, he has been ignoring Kuroo, in fact, and the older one simply stays by his side watching the younger one play.

“Can I play next?” Kuroo asks. Kenma glances towards Kuroo’s direction without moving his head from the screen before returning his focus on the screen. Just to catch his attention, hopefully, and it seems to be working.

“Uh, sure,” Kenma answers, somehow his gameplay seemingly sped up, as if the semi-blonde was rushing. ‘Whoa, that’s fast,’

“Uhhhm…” Kuroo was about to say something when Kenma apparently finishes up.

“This is too easy, you sure you wanna play this game?” Kenma asks, pointing his thumb towards the console. Kuroo couldn’t help but let out a nervous chuckle after what he just witnessed. “What about a more intense game, I’ll just watch you play,” Kuroo suggests, Kenma raises an eyebrow, clearly not into that idea.

“You said you play games, right? What about a two-player game, let’s play together,” Kenma says, gesturing towards the consoles on the other side. ‘Against this junior? No way, he’s scary,’ Kuroo thought as the younger one already has his hands on his jacket, pulling him towards the other side of the arcade lightly. Kenma stopped in front of a console and pushed two coins for two players. The semi-blonde settles, looking over at Kuroo, waiting for him to do the same. Kuroo sits down, mimicking Kenma’s action as they chose a character.

“I assumed you’re a solo player,” Kuroo says, waiting for the game to load. “I am. It’s just… I’m with people so…” Kenma replies, his sentence being cut off by the game’s music. ‘He’s like a gaming machine with an on and off trigger,’ Kuroo thought, watching Kenma shift into one of those focused state.

“Since you’re clearly experienced, I’m not going easy on you,” The raven head says, putting on his determined face as he turned his gaze towards the screen. The two smashed on the buttons as they fight to the death, well, their chosen characters’ fight to the death. Both of them caught up in the moment, counting wins and losses (Well, only it’s Kuroo counting losses since he’s up against this insanely talented gamer)

“You should try aiming for the legs and wait for the right time to attack,” The semi-blonde suggests. “Ha?? Then you’d take advantage of me taking your advice then win again, so no!” Kuroo claims, earning a small (pretty silent) chuckle from Kenma.

“You’re so bad at this,” He mutters, suppressing a laugh, hiding his face with his long blonde locks.

“No way! you’re too good at this,” Kuroo crosses his arms, hearing Kenma’s remark. “But you’re a worthy opponent,” Kenma adds.

“Stop, if you’re trying to make me feel good about losing, all you gotta do is let me win,” Kuroo suggests with a smirk plastered on his face. Kenma squints his eyes and pouts, “No,”

“You really hate losing, do you?” Kuroo sighs, accompanying it with a small chuckle, returning his gaze towards the screen for the next game. “Alright, I’m giving this my all. You better watch out,” Kenma scoffs at the remark, both of them ready to play.

“You think you own the place?” Another voice interrupted the duo’s moment.

Kuroo looks up to where the voice came from. A third-year from another school, no… he’s like an adult who repeated a few years in high school, looking all intimidating and smug towards Kenma. “Can we help you?” Kuroo asks, Kenma turned his gaze towards the guy also.

“You think you can take all of the top spots on everything here. What are you? A dog marking its territory or something?” The guy retorted. As for Kenma, he looked genuinely confused while Kuroo simply smirks at the guy to mask his annoyance.

“Kuroo-san, what does he want?” Kenma whispers at the third-year, the raven softens up a bit. “He’s just jealous you beat his high score,” Kuroo answers, not bothering if it’s loud enough for the guy to hear.

“HA!?”

“Look, we’re here to play games. We were simply enjoying our time here and you just had to come and ruin it,” Kuroo shakes his head with his arms crossed.

“I’ll ruin your face! And I’d beat your ass anytime!”

“Oh no, my dear companion here wouldn’t want that, _sir_ , can I call you sir? or Old man?” Kuroo stands up and face the guy, mirroring his intimidating glare, noticing that there’s a small cluster of people looking over at the scene they just created. “Huh?! I’m a freaking third-year!”

“Yet, a second-year manages to surpass your gaming skills, must’ve been a hard hit,” Kuroo places his hands on his hips, mocking the guy.

“Wanna fight tough guy?!” The guy raises his fists, unnoticeably alarming the Nekoma third-year.

“There’s no need to be physical, old man. We’re at an arcade, why not settle it through one of these games to see who really owns the place,” Kuroo suggests, gesturing at Kenma, who was still sitting, watching the scene unfold before him with a straight face.

“Oh ho ho, wouldn’t that be great,” The guy turns around to face a whole crowd, “EVERYONE! Watch me beat this asshole on PvP!” He calls, instantly gathering so many people, too much for Kenma’s comfort but since games are involved, he doesn’t mind.

The younger one taps on Kuroo’s shoulder. “You’re going to let me play on this one?” Kenma asks, eyes still sparkling with interest. Kuroo was about to answer when the guy spoke first.

“No, not you,” Then the guy points at the confused raven head.

“I’m going to beat this bastard on PvP,” He declares.

‘Ah, fuck,’

Kuroo huffs. Kenma just stood there unamused.

“I thought I’m going to beat this guy up, he’s annoying me,” Kenma mutters this time, Kuroo lets out a frustrated chuckle, masking it with a smirk.

“He knows that you’d kick his ass on the first round, that’s why he chose to challenge me instead, he must’ve been watching us,” Kuroo explains. Kenma hums, “You’re fairly good at PvP, this should be a piece of cake for you,”

“ _Kenma,_ if you’re saying that to make me feel good for losing a lot of times, I will-,”

 _Wait…Did I just?_ the pause felt natural as Kenma finishes the sentence for him.

“Kill me? Let me see you try after this dude gets to you first,” Kenma replies in a flat tone, but the teasing is evident there.

“You little-,”

“Are we gonna settle this or you chickening out Rooster head?” The guy interrupts again with his loud-ass mouth. Kuroo clicks his tongue at him. “You think you’re so tough, just you wait until I beat you and shut you up,”

The crowd cheers.

“Are you really sure about this?” Kenma asks.

Kuroo lets out a sigh, “Can you coach me on this one?” Kuroo glances at Kenma pleadingly.

“Sure, I guess,” Kenma answers with a shrug, watching the whole crowd being riled up by this guy who seemed to be popular in this place. “Watch me win this one,” Kuroo tells Kenma before sitting down on the chosen arcade console.

“Break a leg. Not your own leg, of course,” Kenma deadpans, earning a squint from the raven head before turning his attention to the screen before a cheer erupts.

As for Bokuto and Akaashi, they noticed the commotion on the other side and went to check it out, only to see their friends being the center of it all. “Looks like Kuroo got himself on a fight again,” Bokuto says, Akaashi raises an eyebrow. “Does he always get into fights or something?”

“Sometimes,” Bokuto shrugs, “But usually it’s fun to watch,” Akaashi gave the Fukurodani third-year a ‘wtf’ look, before both heading to the crowd.

*** 

“KUROO BEAT HIS ASS!” The two could hear the loud mouth of Bokuto from within the crowd.

Kuroo couldn’t help but feel a little extra irritated to learn that his opponent is also a freakishly talented gamer. But hey, it’s alright since Kenma’s guidance has been helping him throughout the whole duration of the challenge and it’s been going well. 2-2 score, and they only need one more point to finally see who’s the winner. Kenma was being showy at his disappointment for not playing, Kuroo’s more concerned at this one rather than the challenge he’s in right now.

“Don’t forget to check if the charged attack is ready to use,” Kenma reminds the raven head who is currently smashing on the buttons, his opponent seems to do the same thing but with more intensity.

Everyone’s cheer adds to the intense atmosphere of the challenge. This puts pressure on Kuroo more than he expected. ‘I just wanna spend time with my friends and it came to this?’ Kuroo thought, looking back to how it began.

Well, it’s since Kenma was simply being a skillful player, playing to his enjoinment in this haven of games and such. Kuroo was only watching him play, and nothing more. Now that he was thinking about this, he realized how much he actually enjoyed watching Kenma play rather than play the games himself. Watching the younger one’s eyes literally sparkle with interest makes him want to just let him play and play. Yes, just for this raven head to see this side of this semi-blonde.

And now, he’s the one playing, and for what? He wasn’t trying to prove something.

“Kuroo-san, you’re losing,” Kenma points out, Kuroo snaps out in his headspace, seeing that his character is getting hit continuously without rest, basically him on the way to knock-out. Kuroo panics as the crowd goes wild.

“Wait, calm down,” Kenma says.

“But I’m losing!” Kuroo practically shouts at this point, so his voice won’t get drowned by the loud yells of the people around them. Kenma wasn’t liking this at all, so the whole duration of the challenge was just him standing near Kuroo near the console, guiding him and shrinking whenever something loud erupts.

“HA! NOT SO TOUGH NOW, ARE YA?” Kuroo’s opponent sneers. Kuroo clicks his tongue, doing his best not to lose.

And there it was, almost a quarter of his health bar slowly going down every hit. “Kuroo-san, you’re not going any further if you’re just smashing the buttons,” Kenma says flatly.

“Lend me your gaming skills then!” Kuroo exclaims, not really sure if he’s being sarcastic or desperate at this point. But to be honest, he needs a miracle.

Kenma sighs before patting the older one’s shoulder with a soft tap.

Somehow, everything seems to fall into place. ‘This vibe again,’ Kuroo’s eyes widened, feeling a little déjà vu at the moment. He briefly glanced at Kenma, his eyes were shining. For a moment, it felt like time stood still, and everything starts to make sense. Imagine a cherry tree and its falling petals, like it follows where the wind is taking them, not going astray from their wanted destination.

Kuroo wanted to stay at the moment since it’s making him feel like… he’s home.

“Player 2 WINS!” this snapped Kuroo out of a reverie, realizing he’s eyes were on the screen all this time. ‘No way, I actually won,’ Kuroo looks at the screen with a proud look on his face. His instincts told him to look at Kenma and he did. Kenma was there, standing, looking at the screen with a small smile on his face.

_Wait…_

_His eyes aren’t shining anymore…?_

“Nice one,” Kenma comments. Both of them high-fives.

The crowd yelled out again, basically calling out on their bets or something like that. Kuroo laughs at the sight of his dumbfounded opponent. “Guess you won’t be sitting on the top spot anymore,” Kuroo mocks.

“CHEATER! You clearly cheated I saw blondie doing something just now!” the guy points towards Kenma, who flinched at the accusation.

“He did nothing, you just suck at winning,” Kuroo chuckles with his arms crossed.

Kenma tugs on Kuroo’s jacket, clearly signaling him at something. Kuroo realizes the warning and dodges at the right time when the guy throws a punch. “Woah, that’s enough!” Another guy steps in.

Right on time, Akaashi and Bokuto were already pulling the two towards the exit to avoid any more dispute. The four ran as fast as they could away from the arcade with Bokuto and Kuroo laughing.

*** 

“And the guy was like, ‘NOT SO TOUGH NOW ARE YA?’ and Kuroo as like a gaming god who unleashed his power and went all out on this poor dude! Guys that was literally the most epic thing I’ve ever watched!” Bokuto recalls as the four walks on their way to the station, just passing by a park after grabbing ice cream.

Akaashi was shaking his head, “It looked like Kuroo-san got lucky or something,”

The word reminded Kuroo of something at that moment. As the two continued talking, Kuroo faces Kenma who was still licking his ice cream in peace. It was when Kenma pat his shoulder when the game started to make sense. The raven head doesn’t even remember a few details on how he really won the game. It just… made sense and got lucky.

“So… do you admit that you’re a lucky one?” Kuroo asks in a teasing tone, also a small recollection of their previous interaction. “That wasn’t lucky,” Kenma answers.

“Come on! You saw how I played and I was losing that time. You can’t deny that’s pure luck,” Kenma pauses for a while, looking upwards as he thinks about his next answer.

“I guess it was,” He licks on his ice cream, getting a smudge on the tips of his nose. Kenma’s other hand was on his pocket, before he could even wipe it off himself, Kuroo helps him out and used his thumb to wipe the ice cream off.

“Because of you,” Kuroo still claims.

Kenma blinks, a little flustered at what just happened, and rubs his nose using his wrist to wipe the moist away.

“So are you like a blessed child or something?” The raven head asks once again. “Um, no?” Kenma answers, sounding as if he was unsure.

“I don’t understand what you’re trying to know,” Kenma adds as he raises an eyebrow. “Well, I’m a little curious since everything around you just makes sense sometimes–I’m not sure if that’s the word I’m looking for,” Kuroo answers.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Kenma mutters. Kuroo hums.

“You’re sounding like you’re keeping a secret or something,” Kenma flinches at the statement.

“I’m not keeping a secret,”

“Or are you?” Kuroo teases, leaning forward to the semi-blonde.

“There’s no explanation to luck, ok? What do you want to know?” Kenma raises an eyebrow.

“I wanna know why there’s something different when I’m with you,”

“Hmm,” Kenma dismisses him completely as he focuses on finishing his ice cream.

“But for real, thanks for coaching me back there. Without you, I could’ve lost on the first three rounds. I guess I was just lucky to have you as my gaming companion back there” Kuroo smiles, this time, no teasing manner was involved.

Silence fell between them as Kenma decided to eat the rest of his ice cream in peace as they walked to the station and parting ways as Bokuto and Akaashi went off to their stop and the same goes for the two.

They walked together on the same streets on their way home, until Kenma decided to break the silence.

“The attack you pulled off a few seconds while he opponent recharges was a critical hit,”

“Huh?” Kuroo was caught off guard by the second-year’s initiative.

“You were panicking at the time so I had to do something to calm you or use your panic to press an attack on impulse. Apparently, it worked and you just kept smashing the buttons until you won,” Kenma explains.

Kuroo nods in response, he thinks about that moment when Kenma pats his shoulder. The thing is, he doesn’t even clearly remember the game, he was just so focused on the atmosphere that just appeared out of nowhere until the winner declaration snapped him out of the trance.

“Still, there’s something about that win that I could only explain that relates to chances,” Kuroo replies.

“You just simply gathered experience through playing with me,” Kenma says in an almost flat tone, seemingly over at the repeated topic.

“For an hour and a half? Probably. But you’ve seen me play and the other guy play. He’s clearly a good gamer, well not as good as you thought,” Kuroo points out.

“That’s why you won because he underestimated you. You respected his skills and didn’t look down on him just because you’ve played against someone better, _me_ ,” Emphasis on ‘me’.

‘So this guy can be a little cocky, huh?’ Kuroo thought, but that’s not the part that burned in his mind.

“You actually made me feel a little better for losing against you many, many times,” Kuroo gives him a smirk.

“Would you still call that luck?”

“I was lucky to have you by my side,” Kuroo grins cheekily. Kenma sighs, Kuroo noticed him slightly giving up at this point, which somehow made him a little amused. Seeing Kenma annoyed and all that, it was a little different than when they first met since he was awkward all over, (and considering the raven head idiot was called out on being a borderline creep.)

“Say, why are you so obsessed with luck?” Kenma asks after the long pause.

“I’m not obsessed with luck,”

“That’s literally all you talk about with me,”

Kuroo looked away for a second, recollecting on all of those thoughts he gathered about the boy beside him right now, answering a little too quickly.

“Well, you remind me so much of a Legend, that I used to look into a few years back. Are you familiar with the story of Yamaneko’s Lover?”

Kenma perked up, halting altogether. Kuroo was rather confused to seeing Kenma… with a new expression. Kuroo stands a few steps before Kenma, noticing he’s just standing there.

“The legend came from Miyagi,” Kenma replies.

“Well, it’s considered a lost legend in Osaka–wait, so you’re familiar with it?”

“Yes, my grandmother used to tell me that story when I was a kid,”

“About the assassin and the mythical humanoid star?”

Kenma nods. “So you must know about the Wishing star like a human version of Maneki-Neko,” Kuroo asks.

“So… you’re implying that I’m like this… myth?” Kenma points to himself.

“Yes! It sounds weird to put it that way. You’re like a lucky charm that wherever you are, there’s always something good going on,”

Kenma pauses, thinking about something, and tugs on Kuroo’s jacket as he pulled him to the nearby park near the river.

This surprised Kuroo like he was seeing another side of Kenma wasn’t expecting to see. Like something from when he was watching this semi-blonde play, he’s caught up on something that made him lose sight of his surroundings or something like that, as Kuroo describes.

“Uh, Kenma?” Kuroo tries to call the other’s attention as they arrived off course from their way home. Both stands near the edge of the river.

“My grandparents told me the story since they think the same thing,” Kenma faces him.

“That you-,”

“That I’m the myth reborn,”

Kuroo froze for a moment but he didn’t say anything yet. ‘Whoa, I didn’t expect that,’ The raven head thought.

“Wha… how? Are you saying that you’re actually blessed?” Kuroo asks, putting on a cheeky smile, wondering if his friend right here is being serious or not…

“It’s not a blessing, it just happened to be me,” Kenma replies, looking down at his fingers.

“…” Kuroo cocks his head. ‘No, he’s definitely not joking,’

Kenma faces Kuroo once again, seemingly gathered enough courage to go on.

“Let me show you,” Kenma tugs Kuroo’s jacket once again and gives him a rock, Kuroo blinks, wondering what Kenma is up to.

“Throw this upward,” Kuroo nods and does it without hesitation, a split second later, he panicked.

“Wait! Why’d you made me do that?”

“If you’re lucky, the stone would fall straight onto your head like a perfect coincidence…” After this, Kuroo really panicked and walked a step away from his spot, and the stone landed with a loud thud right where he predicted it. Kuroo’s eyes widened at the sight before Kenma continues his sentence.

“… And you’d save yourself from a potential bloody injury, which a lot of people would perceive as lucky,”

Kuroo looks at the rock and at Kenma, who’s wearing a neutral expression right now. The raven head isn’t sure what to feel right now, awe? Curious? Or just be plainly creeped out since no one could ever predict something like this would just happen in an instant. What is this guy? Clairvoyant or something?

“What are you trying to prove?”

Kenma takes another stone and gave it to Kuroo, “Do you know how to skip rocks?”

“Uh, no,” Kuroo, still confused, accepted the rock.

“Well, today’s your lucky day. You’d pull it off on the first try,” Kenma answers. Kuroo just gives the semi-blonde a slightly skeptical look before throwing the rock.

Both witnessed how the stone perfectly skipped on the surface of the water, leaving the third year’s mouth agape in surprise. Kuroo chuckles nervously, connecting a few dots.

“No way, this is just-,”

“A fluke. Like you said before. It’s because _you’re with me_ ,”

Kuroo stood there, taking in everything he’s just heard from the semi-blonde who’s standing there with just a neutral expression. Having only met him once, the third-year couldn’t tell if this person is joking or not, that is until…

“If you look around you, you’d see that there are so many things to consider in relating to chances. Small business's success rate rises, the weather improves, good harvest, and probably a miracle or two can happen. I’ve witnessed them all before and it revolved around where I reside,” Kenma looks at Kuroo, who seems to be still processing the information he’s being told.

“I never told this to anyone except to my friend Shoyo. My family is aware of it too. But there’s no concrete evidence to why this is happening,”

Looking at Kenma, it somehow makes sense. Kuroo gazes at Kenma, his hair flowing freely in the wind’s direction. The third-year stands there, struck, not just by what he just heard, but to this very man who is standing before him with an expression of confidence.

Maybe this is it… the information he needed to put words to describe what fell into place. That’s it… he found something that made him feel fulfilled. _But then again, the past is past and it doesn’t matter anymore._

_Besides… Daishou pushed him away before they could accomplish anything… Kuroo at the moment felt a small melancholy as he recalls a part of his memory back in his first year…_

‘Tetsu, snap out of it. Focus on the present,’ he reminded himself, not really getting out of his mind until…

“It could be pure coincidence… but I guess you can call me the one that brings luck, not the lucky one. I’m no entity that controls it, I have favorites but it doesn’t work that way. I don’t really care _; it doesn’t really matter… it’s just chances_ ”

Both their gazes meet…. ‘What a nice thought,’ The raven head thought.

Kuroo’s mouth twitch, feeling a little light as of the moment… “So you literally bring luck wherever you go?”

“Yes,” Kenma replies flatly.

“And you told me because…?”

“You… kept talking about it and I-,” Kenma pauses. “You’re easy to talk to and you know about the story. You just…” Kenma trails off, glancing at Kuroo for a moment before averting his gaze, continuing his sentence.

“You just make sense to me,” The semi-blonde finishes. A small pang attacked Kuroo’s chest on the inside.

“I see, was it because of how wrong I was back in our last conversation weeks ago?” Kuroo asks, sounding a bit joking on this one.

“Yes, I mean no, it’s because I- you…” Kenma stammers, not really finding the right words for his sentence. The younger one pauses for a while and after a long moment of him maintaining a neutral expression, it shifted into this terrified, embarrassed one. ‘Oh shoot,’ Kuroo curses internally, noticing that he could have made him uncomfortable by being a little taken aback.

“Were you just teasing me?” Kenma asks after his small realization, his voice laced with a small hint of terror. “Every time you say something about… this?” Kenma adds, his brows drawing together. Kuroo scratches the back of his neck.

“I didn’t think you’d be serious about this,” Kuroo chuckles nervously, seeing that Kenma’s face shifts into a grimace. Cringing, probably because of embarrassment.

“Stupid,” Kenma mutters to himself and he started walking away at a fast pace.

‘My goodness Tetsu, are you an idiot!?’

In an instant, the melancholy was replaced by something else. Kuroo didn’t put much attention to it, as he was only focused on making sure he didn’t fuck up this moment with his new (recent) friend. (That he admires so much but Kuroo doesn’t know that yet,).

“Wait! I thought we’re going to walk together!” The raven head calls for the semi-blonde, who kept his mouth shut and not even look in the older one’s direction.

“Hey, I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just that I didn’t expect you to be… the ‘thing’!,” Kuroo says, a little all over the place with his vocabulary. “The circumstances just reminded me of the legend because I-,” Kuroo pauses, realizing that they’re at the intersection that will separate their ways. The two stopped on the same spot where they last saw each other.

“Um, please forget about that, it’s stupid. I don’t want to… umm,” Kenma stammers, his head down but at least he stopped walking and actually faced the third-year. “Hey, it’s alright,” Kuroo reassures, walks a few steps in front of Kenma.

“There’s no explanation to luck and it just comes as a coincidence. Forget everything I said, please…”

“ _Kenma_ ,” Kuroo freezes, realizing what just came out of his mouth… and the second time this day too, he mentally face-slaps himself.

“You… I believe you even if it’s just a thought or a theory. It’s a really interesting topic to talk about,”

Kenma slowly looks up…

‘There it is again… the sparkle in his eyes,’ Kuroo snaps himself out of that state and gives Kenma a reassuring smile. “If it was a secret you shouldn’t have told anyone, I feel honored that you told me, and thank you for telling me about it. And don’t worry! I’m good at keeping secrets,” Kuroo says, giving Kenma his so-called signature smirk, just for extra reassurance, but the raven head felt like he just made it worse after seeing Kenma lowers his head again.

Silence fell between them, not the awful awkward type, it’s like time was waiting for both of them. Whatever the feeling is, it is enough for Kuroo to say that at least he isn’t making the other one uncomfortable.

“Umm,” Kenma hums, “Don’t worry, _Kenma._ I would believe you anyway even if there’s no evidence or anything,” Kuroo adds.

“It’s alright.” Kenma answers as he turns in the direction of his home.

_“Don’t leave… I never intended to hurt you,”_

“So, I guess see you soon?”

“I guess,” Kuroo waved goodbye before heading towards the direction of his home.

As he was walking, he remembered the train of thought that went through his mind at that moment. Like the part of his past where his emotion ran wild came back haunting him. But at that moment also… seeing Kenma felt like… everything will be alright.

Could it be a chance that they met? Was it fate? If it was really destiny… _why is it late_?

“ _It doesn’t really matter… it’s just chances,”_ He remembers Kenma’s words as clear as the day. He smiles.

‘I couldn’t believe it…’ Kuroo chuckles to himself, concluding that it doesn’t really matter. He looks up at the night sky and takes in a deep breath. He’ll see Kenma again, that’s for sure…

He feels a little excited for the practice match now, maybe because of Kenma, really.

‘What have I done!?’

Kenma wasn’t feeling the best as he realized how childish and stupid he must’ve sound when he told all of those to Kuroo. Kenma was simply stating facts and a few knowledge he has about the strange phenomena revolving around him.

He never expected he’d be telling this to someone. He knocked his head continuously, basically scolding himself for that impulsive reaction after all that ‘Luck’ talk. 'Believe more' my ass! That was embarrassing!

Kenma cringes at the thought of what could Kuroo be thinking about him right now. He must be thinking that he sounds delusional or something. Kenma doesn’t want to know that the person he’s told to would be thinking that he just made them up or something. And when he thought maybe believing more would cause for the universe to be in favor of him more.

He groans, running his hands through his face, and slaps himself as a scolding.

Kenma arrives at home, feeling a little drained than usual. “I’m home,”

“Welcome back, how’s school?”

“The usual…” Kenma heads straight to his room.

His mother noticed this behavior and figured that it could have been because she took away his games, but little does she know that her son’s mind consisted of what could this raven-haired third year be thinking of him.

Kenma couldn’t sleep that night because of it.

***.

Suguru remembers clearly how he came to learn about the part of history that made him uncomfortable. Which made him push Kuroo away from even getting him involved in his family’s centuries-long purpose.

“Suguru, you’re going to burn yourself out if you don’t stop and rest,” The third-year Nohebi student simply ignores his grandmother’s words. Continuing reading the next character after character of a transcribed version of a journal.

A family consisted of assassins, he was told and he believed in it since it came from a very old record of their family’s history. Not much is there in their history except for one and the one topic only: the lost legend Yamaneko’s involvement with the Fallen Star. Suguru studied these before in his middle school years and he stopped once he reached high school, considering how outdated he felt about it.

Like, seriously? Their family is still on about finding this magical enigmatic person and they’re telling Suguru that he will be praised greatly by their great elder if he successfully _identifies and locates the Star._

He didn’t want that… when he was a first-year at least but it changed a little later. His motivation for doing this wasn’t because of his Great Elder or his praise, it was because of his newfound friendship with his old enemy, Kuroo, and his first love, Mika.

The trio took their time to learn about the story, not with the journal Kuroo once held before since Suguru decided to ignore it and of course, it’s the family’s secret. Suguru fed both of them knowledge about the story of the considered lost legend, Yamaneko’s Lover. Told the story like some sort of fairytale.

He told them about what the fallen Star actually is… an entity that brought luck and fortune wherever they go and the fact that they grant wishes to no extent. This excites first-year Mika, which made Suguru vow to find the Star for her.

Not only that, there would be moments where the three would hang out in a park while watching the stars. Mika would ask what they would wish for if they were given wishes, and both answered with honesty… Suguru wished for happiness for himself and his friends. It was a rather nice friendship for an unusual trio.

But it fell apart once Suguru reached the deepest part of the history he’s studying for the sake of his love’s happiness. He also remembers that day, when he finally learned that part that disgusted him more than anything else.

‘What am I going to tell Kuroo?’ He once thought, trembling on his knees as his eyes continue to read the characters written before him, he couldn’t stop himself at that time.

At that time, Suguru changed what his wish would be if he were ever granted one: ‘A wish to have never been born in this family’, but he knew he couldn’t after reading what he just saw from the old journal.

Kuroo was pushed away, not because of something that went down between then but because he just couldn’t bear tainting a kind heart to do such a thing just because…

Just because his family is obligated to do so. Since Suguru is a direct descent, he’s going to carry a heavy responsibility on his shoulders, to fulfill the past’s wish.

A Fault of the Universe… they described the Fallen Star, once fulfilled their purpose in one lifetime, the next one is designed to a new body in a mother’s womb and the cycle continues. It’s called a fault because the star wasn’t meant to walk the earth in the first place and their existence caused nothing but the reign of humanity’s greed and pride. That is why the clan in which he belongs was found and even made an organization in the first place, to erase this mistake and finally bring order to the flow.

It did felt outdated considering people in their generation don’t even believe in myths anymore and simply rely on man-made creations for their advantages.

Suguru didn’t want to play a part in it, one reason being that there’s no proof of such a phenomenon happening in the past since there’s only little recorded of it. Well, his Great Elder is proof…

“The Fallen Star is a curse, I know because I am still here when I should be resting centuries ago,” He still remembers the words uttered from his mouth.

Their generation is educated poorly of their history, traditions being forgotten and almost half of the minor parts of their history are lost. It was hard for the family to get back on their feet with their traditional family occupation, since it was centuries since the last time they sent out a spy and just shifted into ophthalmology… because of an indication they must take into consideration for they still needed to find this mythical entity.

The dedicated ones being the generation before Suguru’s made it a little pressuring for the children and the teens. Who knows if the myth could’ve stopped being reborn but since his Great Elder sleeps and wakes in parallel with the Star’s death and rebirth, the whole family knows the fallen Star is breathing right now, with them in this lifetime. Everyone was on their feet since the Great Elder’swaking…

Suguru hated it, because of the history and his family being too serious about it. But after falling out with one of his friends and breaking up with his first love… there was nothing he could do than throw himself into volleyball and studying their history since it felt like that’s all he could do that would calm him down.

Thinking if he could find the star, Mika would come back. But he couldn’t do more for Kuroo at this point.

Suguru turns a page after thoroughly finishing the other. That night he’s looking for clues on what could have been the last wish that made the world wait for 600 years just for the Star to be reborn again. Transcribed journals from previous generations and his grandmother’s guidance helped him a lot and made a lot of progress too. The journal was too cryptic, even for his previous family members, it was almost impossible to figure it out. He was told there were answers and theories but those are lost a long time ago, which explains half why his previous grandparents also had a hard time figuring out.

It was up to him to finally conclude this part.

“Yamaneko made the wish, right?” Suguru asks, rubbing his temples to ease the stress. “Yes, apparently,” his grandmother replies.

“So the reason for his betrayal was because he wished for something that didn’t end all this,”

“There was no clear explanation to what he actually did to betray the family. All we know is that he made a wish and Great Elder doesn’t want to say anything else…”

“If only the Great Elder could be more open to us,”

“Suguru-kun, he was asleep for 600 years and as far as I’m concern, everyone in his family right now is a stranger to him. His sleep was caused by Yamaneko and the wish he made that made Great Elder wait for centuries,”

“Hmmm… But what could be a selfish wish that takes 600 years to be granted? World peace? No,”

“Cure for diseases?” he adds.

“Literally him just wishing for Great Elder to sleep,”

Suguru taps on his head, looks at the book and upon seeing a word, something clicked in his mind.

“What if Yamaneko wished to be reborn… since it’s very evident in the journal how he felt content with the newfound company he found. But all of them died so early… Yamaneko was still young back then and made the wish at the date of their deaths,”

“What do you think Suguru-kun?”

“It’s pretty obvious. He probably wished to be reincarnated along with his ‘new family’,” His grandmother smiles at him….

“I’m proud of you Suguru, but you should know we only need the Star, not the traitor reincarnate,” Realizing she only said this to ease his discomfort at the knowledge of his family’s secret.

“One life is all it takes,”

“Yes, to finish this once and for all,” Both turn their heads to where the different voice came from. Both of their eyes widened, seeing their Great Elder standing there in the doorway…

“All we have to do is to find this person…”

**END OF CHAPTER 5**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked chapter 5, next chapter comes out next week! 
> 
> Why don't you comment down below and tell me what you think about the story or just say hi! I want to improve my writing too and of course, hear some thoughts about how the story is going from your perspectiveeee. 
> 
> Anywaaaaays, there's little mystery to the plot and I hope you guys will tune in and find out what happens next :3
> 
> THANK YOU FOR READING!!! and HAPPY NEW YEAR!


	6. Neko-chan in a Parliament

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma feels that history repeats itself but in a different version
> 
> ***
> 
> Fukurodani vs. Nekoma practice match takes a turn both teams didn't expect.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 6! There's slight platonic Akaken, implied Levyaku, slight Bokuaka, Kuroken HNNNG! and of course, Nekoma team with Akaashi as their setter and Fukurodani team with Kenma as their setter and strategist. I enjoyed writing this chapter and realized I wrote too much and exceeded my planned page count so I'm going to separate this chapter into two parts (but part 2 is going to be chapter 7 so yeahhh, hihihi)
> 
> I hope you'll like the chapter!

‘I don’t know if I’m able to show my face to Kuroo again,’ was the thought that kept circulating in the young semi-blonde’s mind throughout the weekend.

Poor Kenma, he doesn’t know what to do to try to distract himself from the embarrassing memory that kept coming back. He doesn’t have his games; he couldn’t stay inside his room the whole day in an attempt to make his mother believe that he’ll better himself so he could at least get his PSP back.

The semi-blonde is on the couch right now while his father is channel surfing, and there’s nothing good to watch which bored the young second-year. Kenma stands up and heads towards their kitchen to see his mom cooking some snacks. Kenma yawns, and at the same time, a bottle fell from the open cupboard near the cooking area and his mom catches it with no problem. His mother sighs in relief and notices Kenma’s presence in the area. She smiles at her son before setting the bottle down.

“That could’ve been a disaster,” His mom comments as she returned to her cooking. ‘Cool,’ Kenma hums in response, heading towards the fridge and took a slice of apple pie.

“Ken-kun, it’s been almost a month, how are you adjusting to Fukurodani Academy?” Kenma turns to see his mom is focused on her cooking. He went to sit on the counter chair. “It’s fine. School is fine, volleyball is fine,” Kenma replies, taking a bite of his pie.

“So you probably made friends at this point, right?”

“I think…?” Kenma briefly remembers a few acquaintances from his classroom, his volleyball team, and… Kuroo. He cringes at the memory once again. “Kenma, Shoyo-kun can’t be your only friend for a long time or you’ll be unhappy,”

“You took my happiness,” Kenma pouts as he mumbles, earning another one of those disapproving glares from his mom.

“You’ll get your games once you start sleeping before 11 pm,” She deadpans, Kenma sighs in defeat.

Kenma took another piece of his pie as his mom turns off the stove and faces her son. “Ken ken, you got home a little later than usual last Friday. Don’t lie to me, I know you went out to an arcade,” Kenma flinches at that before answering with uncertainty. “I was with… friends,”

“You do have friends! Oh thank the heavens,” She exclaims, putting the snacks on a plate.

“Mom, what’s the deal?” Kenma asks in a flat tone.

“Why don’t you invite them for a sleepover?” She suggests with a smile. “No need… why would I invite them for a sleepover?”

“So you can hang out, you can bond and play games together, and of course…” His mom pauses, washing her hands and wiping them off. The pause felt a little unsettling for the semi-blonde, well… since he’s heard this a lot of times before. He notices how his mom’s expression softens, her eyebrows drawing together, and then she smiles. Of course, she’s about to say something that has to do with traveling.

“… someone can look after you while your father and I go on a business trip,”

Oh, so his guess was correct. He frowns. “Another business trip? I thought we moved so you won’t have to go away every time?” His mom sighs, her smile gradually fading.

“Something came up at the company and your father and I were chosen as representatives. It will only be for a week and a half in Osaka and Kyoto. We’ll be back before you know it,” His mom caresses the side of his head.

“I guess I can handle myself alone for a week and a half,” Kenma replies, his gaze locked on the plate.

“I know you can, sweetie,” His mom kisses the top of his head before heading towards the living room with the plate of snacks on hand. He exhales a breath he didn’t know he was holding.

They’re going away again, the semi-blonde thought. After they moved to a different ward, he felt his problems finally slipping away: the mean kids from his old school, his stress, and of course his parents always out of town every once in a while. He thought after they moved, it would all finally change, then he’d have to change for himself also, for his liking of course. But after hearing his mother’s words, it felt like it’s happening all over again but with a different version this time.

When things like this happen, he can’t help but pray that even just for a second that he could at least get used to the loneliness that he’s supposed to grow accustomed to.

‘Well, it’s work and there’s nothing I can do about it,’

Kenma sighs as he finishes his apple pie, leaving the plate on the counter before heading upstairs to his room, seeing his phone is fully charged.

He opened his phone to see the group chat being noisy as hell. There was a small pang of anxiety, seeing how active the group chat is. Kenma opens the message to see Kuroo and Bokuto disagreeing with something while Akaashi tries to stay on the middle ground. He back reads, looking for hints of Kuroo blurting out his secret, to see that there’s none.

That’s a relief, Kenma thought. At least just an ounce of the weight of negativity went away.

 _‘ **@Kenma**!! WHAT DO YOU THINK??_’ Kuroo asks and this message from him made him flinch, not anticipating it.

‘ ** _@Kenma_** _! You and Kuroo are neighbors right?? Slap him for me will ya??_ ” Bokuto replies.

 _‘ **@Koutarou** slap me yourself u coward!_’ Kuroo must be a fast typer.

 _‘ **@Tetsurou** , **@Koutarou** , you’re both being annoying smh_,’ Kenma can imagine Akaashi with his hands rubbing on his temples.

‘what are you guys even talking about?’ Kenma asks, not bothering to look back to see what was the ruckus all about.

 _‘ **@Kenma** , they’re fighting about the difference between color and colour, ive been watching them debate about it for an hour,_’ Akaashi answers. Kenma snickers at the response and began typing his reply.

‘ **@Koutarou** , **@Tetsurou** , why don’t u just fight abt the difference between flavor and flavour?’

‘ _oml kENMA!!! Im telling u, u rooster head it has a different meaning!!1!!1111!!!_ ’

‘ _IDIOT! this isn’t Japanese!_ ’

Indeed, these captains are dorks, Kenma thought. He sighs and leans on his bed as he sat on the floor after unplugging his phone.

‘ **@Keiji** , I admire ur patience,’ Kenma types, but his message immediately got drowned by the captains’ squabble.

 _‘ **@Kenma** , thanks. Im surprised u handled Bokuto-san for a month w/o breaking_,’

‘ **@Keiji** , I have endurance,’ Kenma replies. His phone vibrates, seeing Akaashi shifted to private message instead. ‘ _Let’s chat here, the two are being a pain-in-the-ass_ ,’ Kenma chuckles at the message.

‘Is Kuroo-san a pain-in-the-ass?’

 _‘he is. When he’s not being a captain, ofc_ ,’ Kenma hums at the response. Akaashi sent an additional message. ‘ _what about Bokuto? What kind of a captain is he?_ ’

Kenma tapped on his chin as he thinks about the times when Bokuto was living up to his role as the captain of the Fukurodani volleyball team.

‘He’s reliable, responsible but there are just these moments where he becomes stupid all of a sudden,’

‘ _lmao, must be interesting being in the same gym as him every day,_ ’

‘must be the same in Nekoma with Kuroo, lol’

There was a pause between the chat. Kenma stands up with his eyes still on the phone, muting the noisy group chat as he walks on his way to the living room. Then finally, Akaashi replies and Kenma slows down a bit.

 _‘I don’t feel like I belong in Nekoma,_ ’ Kenma blinks at the message before typing.

‘why tho?’

‘ _it’s too… calm,_ ’ Kenma blinks once again, a little confused than before.

‘Nekoma is boring?’

‘ _no, not boring, i just feel misplaced for some reason, but I still like it here_ ,’ Kenma thought it was something serious.

‘same here. Fukurodani is chaotic. felt misplaced. captain’s too noisy’

‘ _wanna switch? Lmao_.’

‘how I wish,’

Then there’s another pause, but Kenma doesn’t want the conversation to end yet.

‘are u looking forward for the practice match?’ the semi-blonde asks as he joins in the living room with his parents and sits on the couch.

‘ _I am,_ ’

‘so you’d see Bokuto again right?’

There was a small pause, Akaashi certainly saw the message as he types, not really sure what to answer Kenma. ‘ _yes, tbh_ ,’

But before Kenma gets to reply, Akaashi responds first.

‘ _say, Kozume-kun. He talks abt me a lot?_ ’ Kenma’s eyes slightly widen.

‘where’d u get that idea from?’ He replies, a little amused since only Fukurodani’s volleyball team knows about this and of course, Bokuto may be simple-minded but Kenma knows he’s not that type of guy to snitch himself.

Oh wait… he told Kuroo once. And thus, the small anxiety about Kuroo snitching came back once again like a virus spreading. Kenma sighs exasperatedly, looking up at the ceiling as he waits for Akaashi to reply. ‘ _nothing nvmd_ ,’ Kenma sighs again and began typing.

‘well, he does,’

‘ _I see,_ ’

‘ _what about you Kozume? why don’t you tell me about yourself?_ ’ Kenma was a bit taken aback at the message, not because it felt weird, but because it felt like the first time he’s been in a conversation like this.

‘I like apple pie,’ Kenma replies since this was the only thing that came into his mind at the moment, before adding another. ‘I like cats too but they dont like me,’

‘ _I had a cat once, but it didn’t end well for me_ ’

‘why is that?’

‘ _it kept peeing on the walls, dad got mad,’_

‘oh my god lmao,’

Both of them continued having a conversation, just exchanging stories, the majority are about Kenma since Akaashi must’ve felt bad for leaving him out of the conversation whenever the four of them are out. Kenma wasn’t used to this but he’s still trying his best, Akaashi, after all, wanted to get to know this young semi-blonde better.

‘ _btw, why’d u moved schools?’_ Kenma frowns, not because of the message but because of the memories that ran back in his mind as he was reminded of the reason.

‘people back in my old school were rude, and my parents’ work,’ he replies.

‘ _what abt ur old friends back in ur old school?’_ Kenma stills, not really sure how to respond to that.

Now that he thinks about it, he never really had friends back in his old school. Just a few seatmates asking for notes from him or his classmates that admired his gaming skills but never really those who will listen to him or share them their life story or such. He’s not like someone who’s not sure how to socialize since Shoyo already gave him so much practice for having to spend time with him every day during his vacations in Miyagi.

But he’s sure that socializing wasn’t necessary at those times in his old school, considering no one really goes near him because of those… mean upperclassmen from his old volleyball team.

He was suddenly reminded of his solitude back in his first year. It wasn’t really a bad memory equivalent to trauma, it’s just like he didn’t feel like he belonged there. But it wasn’t enough reason for him not to trust in change. So when he heard that they were moving, he was delighted, but no one was bidding him good luck on his journey to a different place.

‘we’re not talking anymore,’ Kenma replies, not really directed to anyone. ‘a lot of things happened in the first year, but im not sure if I can tell you yet,’ he adds. Akaashi was rather fast to reply

‘ _whatever it is, you can tell me when you’re ready. What are friends for,_ ’

What are friends for…

_Kenma stands in front of the garden with Keiji by his side. “This is my garden,”. The younger one looks up to the other with confusion all over his face. “Your hands may have taken lives but you need to trust me when I tell you even your blood-stained hands can create life… by taking care of my garden of course,” he says with his sweetest smile._

_Kenma simply stands, watching the leaves dance along with the summer breeze, listening to the cicadas sing. “It’s beautiful,” The younger one murmurs, as his hair danced along with the wind that flowed through them as well, its whistles sounding like a lullaby. “I trust you to keep it that way,” Keiji replies… and finally, Kenma’s tears overflow from an emotion he never imagined would feel._

For a moment, there was a warm feeling in his chest, something he never felt with anyone other than Shoyo before. His eyes went teary there but mistakes it for a yawn. He never felt like this before from just a simple message.

Will Kenma tell Akaashi, though? There’s still doubt there but the welcoming vibe has always been emitting from Akaashi’s aura since the day he smiled at him at the booth back in the ramen house. That’s all he felt around him, the feeling of being welcomed. Like the cherry trees welcoming the birds to their branches after a harsh winter, since their place will always be there beside the sakura flowers.

But then again… negative energy often prevails. He already told himself not to do the same mistake he did when he was with Kuroo at the river bank ever again because that’s where overconfidence would lead him. Kenma unknowingly frowns to himself, but something stopped him from feeling these negative emotions, it was telling him _enough_ … ‘But they’re not those people back in your old school Kenma…’ he thought before replying.

‘you can call me Kenma by the way,’

‘ _oh sure, you can also call me Keiji, if you prefer,_ ’ The corner of his mouth twitches upward, forming a small smile.

At least this different version of this repeated history is good.

“Ken-kun, sighing won’t get you your games back,”

“I wasn’t trying to,”

*** 

The day of the practice match finally came. the spring flowers fell as Kenma stepped outside of his house that morning with a small anxiety pooling in his chest and it wasn’t a pleasant feeling to start the day at all. Considering he’s about to play his first practice match after how many months of not playing and of course, seeing the person he embarrassed himself in front of. The memories of that night came back rushing to him as if his mind was mocking him of his decision he made back at the riverbank.

‘Just don’t interact with him,’ Kenma reminds himself over and over like a mantra for the day.

Recess, and lunch break, went by so fast that Kenma didn’t even notice. Even without his gaming devices, it surprised him how the hours went by like a blink of an eye. Time seemingly against him as the day rushes to the hour the Nekoma volleyball team would arrive. The semi-blonde prays that hopefully, time would pass by as fast during the practice match.

He arrives in their school gym, hearing the usual gym ambiance. His teammates already doing a few drills and Bokuto shouting orders as their volleyball captain.

Sometimes, Kenma still gets amazed at the fact that Bokuto is such a good and responsible captain (despite his known stupidity). Kenma ties his shoes as the scene before him plays out like the usual. Eventually, the team gathered around as the coach tells them about the practice match and reminds them what kind of players they’re going to go against.

“We’re going to show those Kittens that we own the court! Move your asses, push it to the limit! HEY! HEY! HEY NOW!” Bokuto exclaims and the whole team shouts in response, pumped up. “But we literally own the court,” Konoha teases as the cluster disperses.

“I’m being figurative!” Bokuto remarks. “This is so unlike you to get this extra motivational Bokuto,”

“What do you mean unlike me? I’m always motivating the team because we’re Fukurodani and we owl-ways play a good game and win no matter what,”

Kenma walks near the duo, “Kozume here is more like a cat than an owl, though,” Konoha points his thumb at Kenma who raises an eyebrow at him. “What are you talking about?”

“Kenma-kun is no cat, look at him! you think he’s a kitten or something?” Bokuto ruffles the semi-blonde’s hair before putting his arm around the younger one to show Konoha Kenma’s face, startling the semi-blonde in the process. “Your arm is too heavy Bokuto-san,” Kenma whines, wriggling to get out of his larger upperclassman’s grip.

“I mean, he acts like a cat and you scare him away whenever you get a little aggressive, don’t cats hate those?” Konoha points to both of them, Kenma giving him a look that screams ‘why are you just standing there?’ as Bokuto effortlessly held Kenma who’s still trying to wriggle his way out of his grip.

“Because Kenma-kun is so… AH! I get what you mean Konoha-kun! He’s so adorable, like a cat!” Bokuto exclaims, pulling Kenma closer to a chokehold-like hug as the younger one already has his arms reaching forward in hopes for his silent cry for help to get him out of the older one’s grip. “Let go!” Kenma whines once again, earning giggles from his other teammates instead.

“It’s still a mystery how one underclassman can be so adorable,” Yukie comments, and Kenma shoots her a not-so-dangerous glare, as she describes. Instead of feeling intimidated, she’d have an urge to pet him on the head instead.

“Let him go, Bokuto. We can’t risk our setter getting injured before his first practice match,” Their coach shakes his head as he watches the scene before him. “I’m just showing him how adorable he is,” Bokuto replies, who is unfazed by Kenma’s force, prying his arms out from the hold. The whole scene was interrupted by a group of people by the entrance.

“THANK YOU FOR HAVING US!”

Kenma’s eyes widened in horror upon the realization that the practice match is going to start any time soon, which means… ‘A probable interaction with Kuroo himself,’ Kenma thought, feeling the grip slightly loosens as he frees himself from the grasp of the third-year with a gasp of air.

‘Just try to avoid him,’ He chanted in his mind once again.

“Everyone gather around!” The Fukurodani captain calls and everyone from the team immediately line up in front of Nekoma Volleyball club. Kenma had no time to compose himself as was he preoccupied with looking for Kuroo subconsciously.

“Kenma, get up here!” Kenma perks up, collecting himself before rushing to Bokuto’s side, and faces their opponents for the match.

And there he was, that raven head captain of Nekoma, looking down on Kenma (Kenma still isn’t liking the height difference). Kenma gulps, feeling a little anxious all over again. The sensation creeping from his chest to all over his body. Not only that, the semi-blonde realized he placed himself on the wrong side. He thinks of moving to the right side but it doesn’t matter since both teams are already greeting each other. “LET’S HAVE A GOOD MATCH!”

“Thank you for coming all this way, my boys have been looking forward to this practice match,” Fukurodani’s coach speaks up (briefly glancing at Bokuto) as he and Nekoma’s coach shakes hand.

Kenma fidgets, looking down on the ground as he waits patiently for the greeting to finally end. Kenma darts his eyes now and then just to look at Kuroo who he feels is smirking at him all smug but he’s actually just standing there, scolding a few underclassmen teammates of his.

‘Could he still remember what I said that night?’ Kenma thought to himself.

“Alright, everyone! Take this time to prepare! The match is going to start soon,” Both captains from the two teams ordered. Everyone was on their feet. Kenma made sure to walk as fast and away from Kuroo as fast as possible. He’s not sure if he can handle interacting with him.

“AKAASHI!” Bokuto’s loud voice interrupted his thoughts.

‘There he goes…’ Kenma sighs, looking at their captain as he heads to the rest of his team who are changing.

The whole Nekoma team turned their heads to where the voice came from and much to their surprise, they saw the Fukurodani Captain literally jumps on their second-year setter, almost losing his balance. “It’s good to see you Akaashi! Welcome to Fukurodani Academy!” Bokuto greets. “It’s good to see you too, Bokuto-san,” Akaashi replies as he pats the third-year’s back.

From the other side of the gym, the rest of the Fukurodani team has their eyes on the scene as well.

“As expected, this guy must be the famous Akaashi,” Sarukui says with an amused smirk. “Not gonna lie, Bokuto wasn’t kidding when he said he looks striking,” Komi comments.

“I don’t get it, he looks feminine,” Sarukui mentions. “But the masculine features are there, though,” he adds.

“Yeah. I bet he’s pretty popular with girls,” Komi assumes. “And boys,” Kaori butts in with a snicker. (“My gosh, women and their obsession with BL,”)

Kenma simply looks at his teammates before putting on his number.

Looking back at his two friends, Bokuto and Akaashi are having a conversation right now. The owl head looks really happy, as Kenma observes. It’s not really that bad to see them again, right? (he’s actually thinking about Kuroo on this on) But as for now, he’s still figuring out how’s he’s going to go through the match without letting his feelings be a nuisance to their play. He looks over to see Kuroo joining the chat, now having a loud greeting with Bokuto, basically just two captain friends challenging each other to see who’s become stronger.

Kenma takes his water bottle and drinks from it, chugging down the water as he attempts to let his anxiety die down with his thirst.

“By the way, where’s Kenma-kun?” He hears Kuroo’s voice from afar, Kenma freezes. “Oh, he’s around here somewhere,” Bokuto replies looking around him as he puts on his number, Kenma flinches, his instincts yelling at him to move.

After overhearing the conversation, the attempt to calm himself down was rather ineffective. Poor Kenma chokes on his water, backing away from his previous spot with big steps, his eyes locked on the three’s direction, unaware of his surroundings. It must be a miracle for him not to get spotted by the owl head.

“Lev! Don’t just wander arou- OOF!”

‘Well, shit,’ Kenma curses mentally.

He accidentally bumped onto the small libero of Nekoma, who was tripping forward and was caught by the taller Nekoma player. “Yaku-san!” the taller one exclaims.

Now Kenma is extremely mortified. It was like life was drained out of his body. The poor semi-blonde can feel his cheeks heat up from embarrassment, looking over at his choices frantically.

“Yaku-san? Are you alright? Luckily, I’m here to catch you,” the taller one laughs. “Put me down Lev,” the smaller one shoots him a glare.

‘So much for bringing luck,’ Kenma bows quickly to show his apology but he doesn’t have enough strength to apologize verbally, so he gave one of his teammates a hopeful look before running outside the gym, finally getting some fresh air as the same sensation takes over his body once again, but now on a faster pace.

‘Did everybody see that? Did Kuroo see that? Great, now they’re going to think I’m clumsy,’ Kenma shakes his head, attempting to calm himself, letting the embarrassment sink in for a moment.

“Yamamoto! Stop pestering poor Shibayama!” Kuroo scolds their teammate after his conversation with Bokuto being interrupted by a ruckus caused by their team, separating himself from the group. “I wasn’t doing anything, Kuroo-san! I swear!”

Meanwhile, inside the gym… both teams were too busy preparing themselves to even notice the small scene that went down with the semi-blonde. Well, all of them except Akaashi who saw everything.

Back in Nekoma, it’s been a little eyesore seeing two of his teammates pining for each other, oftentimes being oblivious to their expression of yearning, and both of them wouldn’t even make a move. He’s been noticing this chemistry since he met the both of them and as he saw Lev catching Yaku in Kenma’s attempt to back away, he giggles and then sighs afterward.

“This could be the push they both needed,” He mumbles to himself, almost forgetting that Bokuto is still chatting with him. Bokuto cocks his head in confusion and looks over at where Akaashi is looking.

“Push? Needed? What…?”

“These two are in love with each other but they don’t know it yet. They’re literally the last people who know,” Akaashi clarifies.

“You guys are okay with teammates dating each other?” Bokuto asks. “Unless they mess up the dynamic of the team, it’s not really an issue,”

“Ah, is that so?” Bokuto simply nods. “Having to date someone from outside the team is better, if you ask me,” Akaashi glances at him who’s still looking at the two Nekoma players.

“Why is that?”

“Because then, someone from the crowd would be cheering for you and screaming your name at the top of their lungs and their voice will be the only thing you hear,” Bokuto explains, earning a nod from the other one.

As Akaashi studies the third-year’s face, he looks as if he was being nostalgic about something. “Did you have someone cheering for you, Bokuto-san?” Akaashi prompts. “Like a girlfriend?” He quickly adds.

Bokuto taps on his chin, “I am still not sure about romantic feelings but I was in a relationship before, but it didn’t work out,” He sighs. “She should be doing ok now,” Akaashi nods once again.

“It’s actually a ‘he’, but yeah, I had a girlfriend once before, she should be doing ok now,” Bokuto corrects.

_Ba-dump…_

Akaashi stood there, stunned at what he just heard. ‘Bokuto? A bisexual…?’ his mind repeats this phrase in many different ways, clouding his mind at the fact that time isn’t waiting for him. He wasn’t sure what he’s actually feeling right now, even his brain is asking him what he should feel at the moment. Surprise? Fluster? _Happy?_ … ‘Damn, why do I feel like something’s flying inside my stomach?”

“Akaashi-kun? Are you ok? You’re looking a little red,” Bokuto points out as he leans forward to take a closer look at Akaashi’s face, making him even redder than before. “It’s just a little hot,” He coughed, choking on his own spit as he tried to lean away from the other one’s dangerously close contact.

“Hot? It’s still a few weeks since spring started,”

‘Ah shi-,’

“Alright! GATHER AROUND NOW!” Both now alarmed by the loud voice of Nekoma’s coaches. Bokuto fixes his posture and places his hands on his hips. “I must get going now, my teammates are waiting for me,” Bokuto says before turning around, heading towards his group.

For a second, Akaashi felt a little relieved from what just happened. ‘That’s just odd,’ he thought to himself. Akaashi shakes his head to fend off those lingering feelings and started walking towards their team.

Right on time, Kenma suddenly appears from one of the doors, cheeks flushed and almost bumps onto Akaashi.

“Oh, there you are Kenma. Kuroo-san was looking for you a while ago,” Akaashi tells him, who turns his head sideways. “Um, I was just outside for some fresh air,” Kenma mumbles, the poor attempt to sound audible enough was clear, although Akaashi didn’t really mind.

“I see. See you on the court then,” Akaashi waves his hand before joining his team. Earning a glare from a certain raven head. “So you got to speak with both?”

“Stop being a creep, Kuroo-san,”

“Do you really see me in that image?”

“Well, to be frank, Kuroo-senpai does looks like some sort of creep coz he’s always looki- OW!” Lev blunts and yelps as soon as he earned a kick from a certain libero.

*** 

Kenma was glancing towards the other team as they warm up on their positions. There he is… the tall third-year raven head, who has his eyes on him. He shudders at the eye-contact but brushed off the feeling. ‘Interaction with him is unnecessary on the court,’ He thought to himself as he warms up as well.

“Alright, team! Let’s show them what we’ve got! (I’m looking at you Kenma!)” Bokuto booms.

“Concentration is what’s important, don’t lose it, team!” Kuroo looks behind briefly as he booms also, looking over at the rest of his team before they yell in response. Both teams were already pumped up enough, waiting for the whistle to blow. Kenma takes a deep breath as he started to gather all his concentration.

“Tora! Nice serve!” Nekoma yells.

The whistle blows and the ball was in the air. And so the practice match begins and everyone has their eye on the ball, Kenma too, but his eyes keep darting to a different place. ‘Kuroo’s eyes on me…’ Kenma comments in his mind, feeling the heat on his cheeks once again. “Kozume!” Konoha shouts, snapping Kenma back into focus as he goes under the ball and analyzes the situation real quick.

‘Bokuto is the best option,’ he thinks, tossing the ball in his direction, glancing to his way, seeing Kuroo was there ready to block. ‘Oh no,’ Kenma panics for a second, realizing just seeing him clouds his focus.

Bokuto successfully spikes the ball. “HEY! HEY! H E Y!” He cheers, Kenma just sighs, realizing his mistake for hesitating a bit. ‘Feelings, go away,’ Kenma slaps his cheeks lightly just to get himself together.

“Akaashi! Did you see that?” the third-year chirps to the other side of the court. “I did, it was amazing,” Akaashi comments. Their captain seemed overjoyed at the comment, the semi-blonde watches the scene unfolds but was interrupted by his upperclassman, Washio. “Kozume, you seem off. Are you feeling alright?”

“I’m surprised you noticed…” he mumbles but realizes he said it out loud. “I mean, yes,” he corrects, facing him.

“If you’re really that affected by their tall intimidating captain, don’t be. You’re smart, you can figure a pattern from him and use that for your advantage,”

Kenma glances at Kuroo who’s looking at his teammates then glance back at Kenma. He flinches at the contact once again but darts his gaze away as naturally as possible. “Uh… sure,”

The game continued as Nekoma and Fukurodani race to the two-digit score.

“Konoha! Nice serve!”

Kenma never felt so limited with his focus and concentration as the game progresses. Being scolded more than once for not really feeling it, and Nekoma was also winning. Indeed, Kenma’s prayers were answered, the practice match seemed to go faster than how seconds usually goes inside a classroom, but for the wrong reason: they’re completely getting trampled! Almost 5 points apart to be exact. Finally, Fukurodani pulled a time-out.

“Kozume, what’s the matter?”

“You look stiff, did something happen between you and the team?” Kenma grips on his water bottle a little tighter.

“Um… I accidentally bumped onto one of their players,” everyone blinks at his response. “That’s it?”

“Are you seriously getting unnerved by this?” Konoha questions, facepalming. “And here we thought we only have one Bokuto to deal with,”

“Don’t scold him, he can’t help it. It’s probably his off day, right Kenma?” Bokuto says in Kenma’s defense, who simply hums in response. ‘I can’t possibly tell them I embarrassed myself for telling a secret I should’ve kept to myself to their captain,’ Kenma chugs on his water bottle, also trying to recollect his focus once again, even if it was always a failed attempt.

“Kenma-kun, if it’s just that, then there’s nothing to be worried about, it’s not a big deal,” Bokuto reassures.

“Yeah! Why don’t you make up for that poor performance with your badass observation skills, I’ve seen the way you keep looking at their direction, that must be what you’re doing,”

Kenma finally shakes off the negative feeling as Bokuto pats his back with a smile on his face. “You’ve been in worse conditions than this one (“That was you and your emotions Bokuto-san,” Kenma mumbles in between), surely this one should be a piece of cake to deal with. Look at them,” Bokuto points towards the other team. Kenma looks over to every one of them, and then at Kuroo. The feeling was threatening to return but this time, Kenma managed to push it back.

“With you and Bokuto, we can easily beat them. You don’t have to be stronger, just be yourself, we’re here to support you,” One of their teammate chimes in. “That was my line,” Bokuto pouts but he only received a shrug.

“Kozume, just take a deep breath and focus, it’s a practice match after all,” Kenma nods, taking his coach’s advice and takes a deep breath. ‘Focus Kenma, beside… it’s not like Kuroo can use the knowledge of that night against you on a volleyball match,’ Kenma reminds himself.

‘Just imagine him, as the opponent… the villain. The villain you must beat,’ Kenma closes his eyes as he tries to imagine the third-year Nekoma student being a villain, enough for him to become a reason to be more serious with the match.

Upon seeing his image with devil horns and with that pesky smuggest smirk, he couldn’t help but feel like it became worse. ‘If we lose, I’ll tell your secret to everyone,’ he hears Kuroo’s imaginary voice out of nowhere. He knows Kuroo’s not that type… he's sure about that, but sometimes a mind can overreact.

‘Confidence put me in this spot… I don’t know if I’ll ever be confident again,’ Kenma sighs dejectedly, deeming this as another failed attempt of motivating himself.

He sighs once again with a little intensity, well, it was almost like a groan actually as he thinks about his choices as the game continued.

‘Well, if I’m going to be conscious around his gaze then might as well center my observation to him,’ Kenma looks at him once again, but this time with intent. 'Try not to lose focus this time,' he reminds himself again.

Finally, something clicks as he notices something that could be taken into consideration for strategy. ‘His gaze flicks to me now and then but he has his eyes on our spikers movement this entire time…’

Kenma hums in delight at his newfound detail.

*** 

“I thought their setter’s going to be like this tall dude with an outgoing personality and he’d be really good at playing, but I never expected to be so disappointed after seeing that blonde dude’s performance,” Yamamoto gripes as he drinks from his water bottle.

“Bokuto himself was rather impressed with this junior, that’s for sure. Isn’t that right Kuroo?” Yaku recalls a certain memory of Kuroo telling him all about what Bokuto thought of their team’s new setter.

Kuroo was glancing towards the Fukurodani team before turning to his own, “We don’t know, maybe he’s at his bad day, Bokuto never lies about being impressed at a skill when it comes to volleyball,” He says with his arms crossed. “We’re halfway in the first set, surely we can take this match if we are consistent,” Kai says as he wipes off sweat from his forehead.

“Having their new setter in their line up must be just a stroke of bad luck for them,” Lev assumes. “Or maybe they’re experimenting,” Shibayama adds.

'As Kuroo hears this, he simply continues to chug down his water and remembers his last interaction with Kenma back on their way home from the arcade. Memories of Kenma’s sudden unease came to his mind and realizes how similar he acts on this day. Kuroo wipes off the water from the corner of his mouth and lets out a sigh.

‘It’s probably my fault,’ he thought, recalling the fact that Kenma is never a nervous wreck and that he also has an attitude. Meeting him twice felt like he already knew how the semi-blonde reacts to things and Kuroo being a little flustered after Kenma showing him something peculiar that night would probably be the worst choice of action he did.

Kuroo mentally scolds himself at that thought. He opens his mouth to say something to his team when Akaashi beat him to it. “We shouldn’t underestimate him, he has great strategic sense, I can tell,” Kuroo raises both of his eyebrows.

“Or maybe because Bokuto told you about that,” Kuroo teases, earning a small glare from their setter before being ignored. “As I was saying, Kenma’s probably in his off day, but we don’t know for sure when his better form will strike,”

“So what do you suggest?” Yaku asks as everybody begins to listen.

“He looks a little anxious and it’s affecting his play, why don’t we take that into consideration,” Tora and the others grin slyly, but not Kuroo. “Let’s not do that, he doesn’t look pretty well,” their captain shakes his head, not really in favor of that plan as Kenma’s dejected expression came into his mind.

“Whoa, is captain going soft on Fukurodani?” Yaku teases, poking at Kuroo’s shoulder. “Number 5 is no Bokuto,” the raven-head replies.

“And we always consider Bokuto’s emo. What is this?” Kai questions, both the third-years look up to him with an eyebrow raised.

“Umm, I’m just saying… he needs a break,” Kuroo replies.

“That’s literally what they’re doing right now. Don’t go soft on them now, this is unlike you,” Yaku scolds. “Ha?!”

The whistle blows and Coach Nekomata looks up to his boys and says: “Whatever keeps the ball in play, it’s the best decision. Akaashi can make the call,” Akaashi bows in response. The team returns to their position, but before Akaashi and Kuroo enter the court, the second-year tugs on their captain’s shirt. Kuroo leans down at ear level.

“Continue staring at Kenma,”

“What? I’m not staring at him,” Kuroo raises an eyebrow. He’s doing the ‘look, not stare but it’s actually a stare’ bit again and he facepalms himself mentally upon the sudden realization.

“Just do that, since I believe it’s what’s making him self-conscious,” instead of protesting to his plan, he thought out loud, “So it _was_ because of me,”

“Kuroo-san, whatever happened between you and Kenma-kun, you should resolve it later after the match but let’s not go soft on him now just because we’re at the advantage here,”

“Nothing happened, except I think he accidentally told me something he shouldn’t have,” Kuroo replies as both return to their position.

“What’s it about?” Akaashi asks, now suddenly curious. “We have a match right now, I’ll tell you later,”

Kuroo was in the middle blocker position, just right in front of Kenma’s position and currently, he looks as if he’s done with the game. Kenma lets out a yawn before facing forward, the two players locking eye contact by chance.

_Those… eyes._

“Hey, you feeling alright?” Kuroo takes the opportunity to ask, squatting a little since poor Kenma must have been having neck pain by craning it upwards just to interact with this taller one. “Yeah, I’m good,” Kenma quietly replies, turning away from his gaze.

“Don’t worry, I’m pretty sure skills always overcomes random chances,” Kuroo says, obviously about Kenma. “I’m not skillful,” Kenma says, shaking his head.

“I don’t believe you. The power of luck is certainly a skill, and you, my friend, are skillful,” Kuroo smirks. Kenma frowns in response and sighs afterward, turning his gaze away. It was as if he doesn’t want to speak with him about that anymore. ‘It really is my fault,’ Kuroo finally concludes. ‘he looked so uncomfortable,’ He makes a mental note to himself to clear up some misunderstandings later.

But for now, they’ve got a match to win.

“Akaashi nice serve!” The Nekoma team yells out and everyone was on their stance, except for Kenma. Kuroo notices how dispirited Kenma was as he looks closely at him. As the ball went over to Fukurodani’s side of the court, Kenma lets out a small groan to himself because of how far the ball he needs to run to before tossing the received ball to one of their spikers.

Kuroo reads the situation quickly and ran in the direction of the ball and jumped high enough. Yaku receives the ball and so the rally continues.

“Kenma! Left!” Bokuto yells, waving his hand as Kenma tosses the ball in his direction. Kuroo watches the semi-blonde’s stance and couldn’t help but realize, ‘he actually has a pretty great form,’ The ball flew in Bokuto’s direction and Kuroo runs as fast as he could to attempt to block his spike. His eyes dart to Kenma who was wearing an unfamiliar expression.

Kuroo hesitates as Bokuto successfully spikes the ball to Nekoma’s court. Fukurodani cheers and Nekoma pats each other’s back. “Akaashi! You saw that one right?” Bokuto gleams as he looks from the other side. “Bokuto-san, get your head in the game,” Akaashi sighs (“But I’m in the game,”)

“We’ll get them next time,” Kai reassures the rest of their team. Kuroo turns back to face Kenma, who was currently looking at him, but not with those expressions anymore. Kuroo scoffs, pretty impressed.

“I see that you can be so determined at rare moments,” Kuroo mentions, assuming it was a look of determination that he wore. “So you admit that you’ve been watching my movements,” Kenma points out. “As a volleyball player, I should be. But the thing is, I was looking at your face,” Kuroo corrects.

Kenma blinks at his reply, “Y-you… I-,” he stammers, which alarms the raven-head.

‘You did it again, Tetsu,’ Kuroo panics, putting his hands up in reassurance, “No, I mean, I was just noticing your game face,” He explains himself. Kenma seemed to have calmed down after that, Kuroo too. “I’m wearing a game face?” the setter raises an eyebrow, genuinely wondering.

“You didn’t notice yourself?” The semi-blonde thinks about his next reply. “Please keep looking at me,” Kuroo scoffs at the request, assuming it could be an attempt to perform a strategy. “You think you cou-,”

“Because I’ll have my eyes on you,” Kenma tells him, his glare sending shivers. It’s definitely a strategy, but of course, as if Kuroo would allow himself to lose.

Kuroo grins at this unusual determination. “Oho, I wonder if it’s because of how devilishly good I look,” Kuroo teases. Kenma didn’t answer, he simply turned his back on him as he returned to their position. He smirks at the sight, returning as well, and thought about what he has in store.

The game continued, Fukurodani catches up until both are tied and now, Fukurodani leads with 24-23. Kenma is still unsteady, obvious to everyone in the room but no one can deny that he’s beginning to get a hang of the game. Both teams catch their breath, Kuroo looks over at the other side of the court for a certain semi-blonde, who is on the floor, catching his breath. “Not bad for a shrimpy-chan,” Kuroo remarks.

Kenma simply tries his best to gather more energy. “Do you always have to bare your teeth whenever you block Bokuto-san’s spike?” the younger one points out. This surprised Kuroo, and it also made him a little self-conscious. “Why? Did I look hot?” Kuroo smirks to mask it. “No, you looked like a laughing hyena,”

Akaashi snickers behind them. “A freaking hyena,” the Nekoma setter comments but Kuroo simply brushes it off. “It’s either you’re a freakishly talented observer or you just genuinely like looking at my face,”

Kenma stands from his position, “It’s my first time seeing your face in daylight. Of course I’ll be genuinely interested in seeing what you actually look like in better lighting,”

“Genuinely,” The raven-head emphasizes. “Don’t push it Kuroo-san,”

Before Kuroo lets out a reply, he suddenly remembers this is exactly how he managed to push Kenma to spill his secret, back in the riverbank near their neighborhood. Now, Kuroo thinks about whether to repeat that kind of scene that could result to Kenma avoiding him completely. He doesn’t want that, the misunderstandings from before still haven’t been cleared yet and he certainly doesn’t want to add another to the pile.

Honestly speaking, he cares about his friendship with Kenma too much, he just realized that a little later. But why? Maybe Kuroo is simply a treasuring type of person, or maybe because of a clenching feeling in his chest that came from a certain past. ( _but which past is it?_ )

“Alright, alright. I’m also genuinely interested in what you look like in daylight,” Kuroo gives him a reassuring smile this time. “And of course, speaking as a volleyball captain, you’re a fairly good player,”

Kenma blinks at him before standing up. Time seems to have stood still as Kenma gives him a half-smile. There’s this intensity with Kenma’s gaze, Kuroo can tell but he doesn’t know how to describe it yet. He just simply let himself go with the flow of the strange feeling that pools inside him whenever it comes to him… such strange intensity that somehow a part of him was so drawn to.

If Kuroo were to pinpoint where the source is… he’d say it would be Kenma’s eyes.

“Um, thanks,” the semi-blonde replies laced with uncertainty, the whistle blows, thus ending the conversation. Kuroo was snapped back into focus before returning to his own position. “Let’s get this point guys, we can’t let them take this set,” The rest of the Nekoma team yells but their captain’s eyes dart to the opponent team’s setter.

‘Say… he rarely smiles,’ Kuroo finally noticed, looking back if it’s just a chance that he noticed this just now… or maybe he’s just _used to seeing him like that_.

The game continued with a little tension between the two teams as they keep up with each other, scoring and scoring until Fukurodani only needs one more point to take the set. Komi receives the ball with ease and the ball was in the air. Kenma jogs under it. He darts his eyes from the ball to the direction of the spikers and the blockers from the other side.

He can tell that Nekoma has upped their blocking game, but Kuroo can’t tell that the setter figured it out. The semi-blonde setter tosses the ball towards Bokuto’s direction, already sure that he’s aware of what to do next. Bokuto was already in his position to spike the ball, and so are the blockers. “Watch your timing guys!” Kuroo yells at his fellow blockers.

Kenma jogs to his position to prepare himself for the next attack. The blockers jumped, all three of them, but Bokuto already knows what to do. Bokuto hits the ball in full force, only get blocked, as intended but where the ball bounces next took everyone by surprise.

With the same amount of force, Kenma happened to be on the spot where the ball was heading. ‘Ah, Fu-,’

_Whack! Thud!_

The semi-blonde winces once the ball came into contact with his face. “(Oh my god,) Nice receive!”

“Kozume! Oh my gosh!” his teammate gasps. As for Kuroo, he was left wide-eyed at what he just witnessed.

Everyone let out an exclamation, but then again, the game is not yet over. Using this chance to attack again, Fukurodani did their best to bring the ball back to their spikers without Kenma’s help, since he’s on the floor, clutching his face in pain. Washio spikes the ball successfully.

Fukurodani cheers once they finally ended the set.

Nekoma team groans in dismay, everyone except for their captain, who was checking on the other side of the court for a certain possibly injured semi-blonde.

“Hey, that was a nice receive,” Kuroo chuckles, seeing that Kenma seems fine. The younger one scowls him, “You were distracting,” he claims with a lace of sarcasm. “Because of how good I look?” Kuroo teases once again.

“…” Kenma checks if his nose was bleeding, Kuroo’s facial expression shifting into somewhat of a worried look. “But seriously though, that was really strong, you could’ve gotten seriously hurt,”

“It’s fine, as long as Bokuto-san spikes don’t waver, it doesn’t matter,” The semi-blonde says as he massages his nose.

There’s certainly a crucial detail in his words that this volleyball captain must really take into consideration but he’s not paying attention to that detail. The raven head is simply worried about his friend who just got hit on the face by the blocked spike of Japan’s top 5 spikers. Kuroo remembers being hit straight on the face by Bokuto’s spike and it wasn’t a pleasant memory _at all_ if he adds the detail of the blood pooling on the floor and his cry of pain.

Imagining it, what if Kenma were to experience that one? Him on the floor with the crazy amount of blood dripping down his nose and his cheeks bruised… crying in…

pain.

_He certainly couldn’t bear hearing his screams of agony along with the sounds of the whip. The raven-head stands in front of the scene by the doorway… seeing the spy on his knees, with blood all over the floor and his face stained with blood, dirt, and tears._

_This person may be a killer… but Tetsurou’s heart broke a thousand pieces and a thousand more, once seeing his blood drips freely from his body… at this moment he realized Kenma is someone he really cares about, now praying for him to get through this day._

Kuroo froze at the moment, but it felt like an instant, being taken to a different time and place and was returned, seeing that he already has his hand forward to reach Kenma. He gives the younger one a reassuring smile, in hopes to alleviate his uneasiness that he caused before and the uneasiness his presence might have induced. (Oh, he’s sure it’s his fault now.)

Kenma takes his hand and helped himself up before wiping a stray tear. “Thanks,” He replies before he was escorted by a few teammates to the bench to check up on him. ‘His hands are soft…’

Kuroo turns back to his own teammates to greet Yaku’s look of confusion.

“What?”

“Don’t tell me he’s actually the ‘Neko-chan in a parliament*’ you once told me about,” Yaku says raising an eyebrow. (* parliament: a group of owls)

“He is, actually,” Kuroo shifts his glances elsewhere, knowing Yaku has his glare locked on the taller one. “You’ve grown soft for this one,” Yaku points at the middle blocker.

“We’re in a match, I am not and will not grow soft for someone who is an opponent. We’ve established this before with Bokuto,”

“Yeah, but number 5 is no Bokuto,” Yaku reminds Kuroo’s remark and gives him a smirk as he crosses his arms.

“Shut up,”

*** 

“No bloody nose, which is good. You can still play and finish the match, yes?” The coach asks and Kenma nods, holding an ice pack on his cheek. “Don’t worry Kozume-kun, I was once hit by Bokuto’s spikes and it was awesome,” Komi snickers.

“I know right?” Bokuto raises his hands for a high five.

“So you and Nekoma’s scheming captain know each other?” Sarukui asks as he drinks from his bottle. “Yeah, I met him through Bokuto-san,” The semi-blonde answers.

“Certainly you must know a little about his tactics at this point, considering you have your eyes on each other for some time,”

Kenma looks to the other side where the Nekoma team is in the middle of their break. He hums and faces his teammates with a different expression. Everyone else takes notice of this change of attitude, and just like that, they were all ears.

“Their captain is really good at read-blocking, I assume you already know since you guys have been playing against them for years,”

“Yep,” the rest of the team replies in unison, except for the first year.

“He’s quite good at observing the ball and the players… especially Bokuto-san, I saw how quickly he reacts whenever Bokuto-san attacks,” Kenma pauses. “Let’s adjust our timing a bit and bring me the ball high enough for us to breathe,” he finishes.

“But wouldn’t they have more time to position themselves for the attack,” Washio says. “They’d just take the ball with their insane receives,” Komi sighs.

“Yeah, they’ll definitely receive the spikes but I’ll make sure they won’t see it coming. I’ve managed to make sure that Kuroo-san keeps his sights locked on me at certain rotations. Surely, Bokuto-san can surprise everyone from the other side, I just need him to be faster,” The rest of the team nods with a newfound determination. “Aren’t we lucky to have Kozume in our team!”

“Sometimes, your determined attitude scares me,” (“Yeah, it’s scary,”) a few of their teammates comments with pride as their captain steps in front.

“They may be agile, but we have something they don’t,” Bokuto proudly exclaims with his head up high.

“We have a ‘brain’ to make up for our captain’s stupidity!” Konoha adds, followed by a chuckle from the rest of the 3rd year.

“There’s no time for jokes! We’re having a team moment! And what do you mean by stupidity?” Bokuto retorts.

Kenma looks to the other team once again, now noticing Kuroo has been checking them out before he even realizes that he’s been spotted. Kenma lets out a small scoff and their captain notices this before smirking.

‘There’s Kenma with his game-on attitude,’ Bokuto thought as he went to his side as soon as the group scatters to return to their positions. Before he could say anything, Kenma already took the chance. “Akaashi-kun noticed my mood, he must be taking advantage of that by using Kuroo-san to unsettle me,” He says in a flat tone, his eyes locked on the other as they also return to their position.

“You think so? You can tell? You’re awesome at this Kenma-kun,” Bokuto comments, also looking over at Akaashi, who’s currently chatting to one of his teammates.

“I’m sorry if I worried everyone, I just… my instincts are telling me something whenever his eyes are on me,” Kenma says as he wiped the wet area off of his face. “Who? Kuroo?”

“Yes. If his eyes are still on me until the end of the match…”

“Then?”

Kenma faces Bokuto. “Why don’t we take advantage of that?”

Bokuto grins slyly.

**END OF CHAPTER 6 (Part 1)**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, there's a small mystery in Kenma's past, tune in to find out soon. I hope you enjoyed the chapter, part two will be posted tomorrow, and see you guys then! I apologize for grammatical mistakes and typos
> 
> While writing this chapter, it felt pretty weird having both setters switched schools since I'm not used to imagining Kenma handling Bokuto's emo and Akaashi just chilling in Nekoma. it didn't feel right at first but after finishing the second part, I just got more excited to write more Fukurodani!Kenma and Nekoma!Akaashi.
> 
> Anyways, I hope you're liking the story so far, it probably still doesn't make sense to some of you yet, (I apologize, I get a little over-excited at a few details that I tend to miss a few important things to take into consideration,) there will be frequent edits/updates now and then.
> 
> So, see you tomorrow for the next chapter!


	7. Neko-chan in a Parliament (Part 2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fukurodani vs Nekoma practice match takes a turn the four friends didn't expect.
> 
> *** 
> 
> Kenma and Kuroo finally clear a few misunderstandings.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's chapter 7! I rushed this... I think a lot of errors slipped past the final editing.
> 
> So... a part of Kuroo's past is explained. Basically, this chapter is like a slight explanation of what's up so... ENJOY!
> 
> (why do I feel like this one's bad)

The whistle blows and the next set begins.

Nekoma was taken by surprise as they watch Fukurodani’s setter with a hunger for winning being the center of their sudden burst of strength. It was being channeled on Bokuto’s attacks, as they finally notice how they changed their pace.

It was Nekoma’s turn to get trampled, and it took time for Kuroo to realize that Kenma played him directly to his trap by keeping his eyes on him. Somehow, there’s a small irony there. Kuroo was supposed to see how Kenma’s movement affects the team and of course, predict his future moves, but the thing is, he always gets it wrong.

One second his eyes are locked on the raven-head and would stay like that, which makes Kuroo lock gazes with him, thinking it could mean that he’s simply watching him see where he is blocking or attacking next and the next second, the raven-head would be a second late to Bokuto’s attack.

No matter what Kuroo predicts, it always goes the other way, and then his momentum would get disrupted. Akaashi’s advice isn’t working now, it was as if Kenma wanted that to happen in the first place until it came to a point of no return. Kenma’s all he sees at that moment until someone from his team scolds him.

“Stop staring, Kuroo,”

But that doesn’t mean that his head is out of the game, just because some cute guy on the other side is looking at him. ‘It’s all strategy,’ He reminds himself as their coach pulled a time out. They’re only 4 points behind Fukurodani and their coach isn’t liking it.

“As you can see, Bokuto-kun is now considering his timing and speed,” Coach Naoi points out, “Because of their setter,” He adds.

“Their setter is scary; I’m surprised Kuroo-san doesn’t get bothered by his glare,” Tora wipes off sweat from his neck. “It's like he’s about to kill or something!” Lev describes. ‘That’s one way to describe it,’

“So you and Akaashi know this guy right?” Kai asked the two, Akaashi, who is currently drinking from his water bottle, hums in response. “Yeah, this guy’s a mystery. Akaashi was right for saying not to underestimate him,” Kuroo replies.

“Even if we’re careful, he always figures us out and sprints ten steps ahead of us,” Yaku sighs.

“Where did Fukurodani found such a talented guy huh?”

“Hey now, we also found a talented guy,” Kuroo pats Akaashi’s shoulder. “Maybe we should focus on our receives and blocks. Kozume-kun is on his game, which is affecting Bokuto’s attitude,” Akaashi says.

“By the way, Bokuto is also greatly affected by you praising him, Akaashi,” Yaku points out. “Yeah, he’s always seeking Akaashi’s praise every time his spikes are successful. Maybe you should stop encouraging him,”

“Um… sure,”

“We don’t know Kenma’s weakness yet, but we do know Bokuto for almost 3 years now,” Kuroo says. “We should watch out for his straight shots, I noticed they’re doing a pattern whenever the rotation changes,” he adds.

“Your right! And Bokuto’s emo hasn’t come yet. Their setter must’ve been making sure they go down a smooth path,”

“Or you think their setter is like using Bokuto as their weapon or something? Since he’s in his good form?”

“As I keep reminding you before, keep maintaining your receiving formation, make sure to narrow his way with the ball,” Their coach speaks up.

“Yes sir! but we should adjust our timing too, who knows if their setter would suddenly change their plans and destroy our momentum again,”

“We won’t let him,”

Kuroo looks over at the other side, seeing that Fukurodani’s being noisy with Bokuto starting it all while Kenma just sits there, drinking from his water. Kuroo simply looks at the semi-blonde, enjoying his own tranquility despite the chaos their captain is creating.

He sits there looking up the ceiling, with his sweat dripping on from his forehead trailing down his neck and then he wipes it off, quite possibly tickling him. Kuroo watches Kenma wipes his face using his shirt but was disrupted by Bokuto giving him a heavy pat. Kenma smacks him on impulse (somewhat of a cat’s slap), earning a gasp from their team. The raven-head laughs quietly, watching the scene unfold.

“Ok boys, Bokuto is our main target. Watch his timing and predict his movements,” The coach orders as the whole team nods. “Kuroo will be in charge of finding the right time to block,” he adds as Kuroo nods.

“Yaku, look closely at the pattern their setter created, predict the unpredictable. Who knows if they found a way inside the formation,”

“Roger!” Yaku responds.

“Are we good?”

“Yes sir!” The team yells.

“Come on, let’s take this set,”

The whistle blows and they return to their position, facing Fukurodani once again.

“Kozume! Nice serve!” Kenma serves the ball and the game starts once again. Nekoma has their sights on the ball and of course on Bokuto. ‘Here goes nothing,’ Kuroo thought as the game continues.

The whole set felt like it went by fast as Nekoma finally gained their momentum and continuously receive the ball in great form in long rallies, point after point. Kuroo smirks at this since they finally caught up and found the weak spot of Fukurodani their skilled strategist didn’t put much attention to.

Nekoma finally gains the upper hand, altering Kenma’s plans almost useless as Bokuto begins to get more and more frustrated whenever his spikes get received or blocked (Thanks to Kuroo’s adjustment). Kuroo saw how Kenma reacted to one of their ace’s frustration, he has his eyes on him for a while now, at least after turning the game on them, he could clearly see Kenma’s change of expression whenever something seems to go wrong in their side. Kuroo scoffs in amusement.

“Kai-san!” Akaashi tosses the ball in the direction of where he intended to place it. Kai spikes the ball to the other side but it was too far for Fukurodani to reach, thus earning a point to end the set.

“Yes!” Nekoma cheers as they high five each other. Kuroo looks back to see Kenma has his eyes squinted at their ace, but immediately takes notice of the other gaze that’s directed at him from the other side of the court.

“I thought you’d be watching me this entire time, Kenma-kun,” Kenma squints his eyes at him even more. Kuroo scoffs and smirks. He noticed Kenma’s irritation towards their situation on their team, meaning… ‘We turned the tables on them,’

“I am,” He replies in a flat tone. “But someone’s turning into a big baby,” Kenma adds as they both glance at Bokuto who’s being whiny to his teammates about their game. Kuroo thought of an idea suddenly.

“Let’s make bet on it. He’ll be in his emo mode for the most trivial thing,” Kuroo suggests. “He’ll emo on a failed spike,” Kenma deadpans before looking at Kuroo, who crosses his arms. “Loser gets to treat the winner takoyaki,”

“Unfair, you’ve known him for 3 years. You’d probably win,” Kenma narrows his eyes towards him.

“Then you should’ve upped your gambling game, I thought you hated losing,” Kuroo replies, “Losing to a guessing game is an exception,” Kenma sighs.

“Oh man, I can taste the squid already,” Kuroo replies with his stomach thinking.

“Bro, isn’t betting our thing?” Both heads turn to see a frowning Bokuto standing behind Kenma, overhearing their conversation.

‘Oh no…’ Kenma’s eyes widen.

There it is, the familiar look of progressing dejection. Kenma couldn’t believe what he was seeing and quickly looks between Bokuto with his dropping mood and Kuroo who is already suppressing a chuckle. ‘You owe me,’ he mouths to Kenma before facing Bokuto.

“Bro, of course, it’s our thing,” Kuroo reassures but a chuckle spills out in the process, nudging Kenma’s shoulders, realizing he actually guessed this one right. “What have you done…” Kenma mutters. “Whoops…?”

“Oh,” the Fukurodani’s ace simply replies, before turning his back and walks back to his position. The rest of the team also does the same, but it’s evident from Fukurodani’s expressions that they will have to put up with another one of his emo at this point. ‘This GUY!”

‘There he goes…’ Kuroo reminds himself as it finally dawned on him that it was partially his fault.

“What’s happening with Bokuto-san?’ Akaashi asks, tapping on his shoulder. The raven-head sighs as he replies. “He’s in his emo mode,” Akaashi raises an eyebrow in response.

“Did something like this happened before?” He asks, “Yeah, Bokuto has a lot of weakness, but he’s still that big burst of energy,” Kuroo replies, Akaashi simply nods at his response.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the court, everybody except Kenma was doing their best to get Bokuto out of his current state.

“Bokuto-san, now’s not the time,” Kenma sighs, face-palming himself.

“Bokuto! Don’t feel upset now! Your spikes are still awesome, getting block often happens,” Konoha encourages, patting his back. “Yeah! Kozume here owl-ways clears a path for you,” Komi adds.

“I don’t think he’s upset about his spikes,” Kuroo butts in from the other side of the court. The rest of Fukurodani hears this and lightly groans in frustration at his comment.

“How are we supposed to calm him down now?” Sarukui sighs exasperatedly.

“Kuroo, I thought we’re going to be bros for life?” Bokuto exaggerates. Kenma simply looks up as if he’s done with the world.

“Of course we are, bro! Oh my god,” Kuroo tries to reassure him but laughs in between. “I’m sorry bro, I didn’t mean for this to happen,” He adds while laughing, earning a few disapproving looks from Fukurodani. Even the coaches were shaking their heads seeing the scene unfold.

“Bokuto-san, please calm down... This is your fault Kuroo,” Kenma says, shooting Kuroo a glare, who only gives him a shrug and a cheeky grin in response.

“I am CALM!” The moody owl-head yells as he crosses his arms, pouting.

“Bokuto-san?” Akaashi calls out but the whistle blows for the next game. “What?!”

“I’m here…?” It was like he wasn’t sure if he’s saying the right words or not, but Bokuto freezes for a while. He didn’t say anything afterward… but his pause was certainly an indication that there is hope in calming him down.

Kuroo looks at Akaashi. “Don’t worry, he often gets this frustrated at certain things, it passes but now’s the most inconvenient time,” He explains.

“Is that so?” Akaashi replies before looking back at Bokuto who has his posture slumped, probably still thinking about Kuroo’s mini betrayal that would probably be not a big deal if the frustration from his failed spikes didn’t build up.

Kenma wasn’t amused at all, he looks like he wants to just float elsewhere and not deal with his teammate’s attitude.

The game continues but it wasn’t as intense as before, as Bokuto somehow lets his feelings get in the way of the game which of course made the game a little slow since every single one of the players is taking turns to serve.

Kenma sighs, he just wants to finish this game!

*** 

Nekoma figured it out. Kenma’s plan to keep Kuroo’s sights off of Bokuto to execute an attack split seconds faster to throw Nekoma’s timing off worked like a charm at first. He saw how Kuroo was counting, looking at the setter then the spiker, before working on timing a block. Kenma was rather excited after figuring this out and made out a pattern for this. And of course, managing to push his feelings to the back of his head, gradually getting used to Kuroo’s attention as he was more caught in the moment of the game.

He only needed Bokuto on his best form but still, Nekoma can figure out a few details from their moves as well and has upped their blocking game once again. Now a few failed spikes made the grey-head spiker a little frustrated and Kuroo just had to do something!

Kenma wasn’t frustrated at the people, he’s just so… done with how time suddenly slowed down at that moment. Bokuto’s focus narrowed to only keep pushing forward, making the rallies a little hectic for Fukurodani since he seemed desperate at winning at this point.

“GIVE ME THE BALL KENMA!” Bokuto yells, Kenma furrowed his eyebrows, noticing that they’re going off-course from their plan. This is definitely going to be a disaster, Kenma predicts.

Kenma sighs before he tosses the ball his way and their ace spikes it aggressively, sending the ball to the other side of the court. But it landed outside.

“DAMN IT!” He curses and the rest of the Fukurodani team sighs in the most exasperated way possible. It feels like there’s no way out on this one except for them to win, but in this situation, it’s also getting harder for Kenma, he doesn’t have enough stamina to keep up with Bokuto.

“How are you holding up Kenma-kun?’ Kuroo leans forward from their side.

“I wanna quit,” Kenma murmurs before scowling at Kuroo, “You just had to do something,” Kuroo shrugs again,

The semi-blonde witnessed an emo mode before during practice but this one… this one right now is certainly the worst he has seen. The poor setter doesn’t know what to do but to sigh and sigh and prayed for his lucky aura to put an effect on Bokuto’s performance.

“Hey, Bokuto-san,” They hear Akaashi’s voice from the other side, peeking in their side of the court. Bokuto faces Akaashi. “You need to slow down and breathe, Bokuto-san. You don’t need to rush,” Akaashi reassures with his softest expression Kenma has ever seen yet.

_Oh…_

“What are you upset about?” Akaashi asks.

“He’s not going to answer you,” Konoha answers behind them. But what happened next was out of their expectations.

“Kuroo,” Bokuto mutters. Everyone in Fukurodani was caught off guard at his cooperation. Kuroo chuckles at the other side after hearing what the owl head just said.

They shoot a glare at Kuroo from the other side of the team who simply scratches the back of his head with a chuckle. “Was it because of him being a cheeky pain-in-the-ass?” Akaashi asks.

“Hey!” Kuroo exclaims at the remark but backs off as Fukurodani shoots him another glare, seeing that Bokuto seems to calm down. They’re not going to risk Bokuto’s mood to drop again.

Fukurodani watches how this Nekoma setter calms him down, possibly taking notes on what they could do in future situations like this.

“Yes,” Bokuto mutters once again, like a freaking child… as Kenma observes. “Now, now, we don’t need Kuroo. The game isn’t over yet so keep your eye on me or I’ll beat you in this set,” Akaashi says, his expression shifting from a soft one to a look pinched with determination.

Everyone from both teams was rather surprised at the sight of this. Bokuto’s dejected expression slowly shifted into somewhat of a look of determination. “Oh… really now?”

“Yes, you don’t need Kuroo, Kenma can have him. Whoever loses this set will treat the other Taiyaki for a month,”

“OH! Taiyaki for a month sounds better than takoyaki for an afternoon,” Bokuto taps on his chins as he thinks about it. “So, let’s finish this game and see who gets to have free street food for a month,”

There was a small pause between them, Kenma watches the scene unfolds like something straight from a memory… _What is this feeling?_

“Ok,” And finally, Bokuto smiles…

_Feeling of admiration?_

“THAT’S IT?!” Fukurodani team erupts.

“I am not getting this… how long have they known each other?” Konoha asks.

“Weeks,” Washio answers with his head shaking from what he just witnessed.

“Akaashi-san is so cool,” Lev compliments from the other side of the court.

“I guess we have found Bokuto’s stabilizer,”

“Indeed,”

Kenma, like the others, was just simply looking at the two from the two opposing teams having a conversation. Seeing Akaashi looking over at the other side of the court while Bokuto finally regains his spirit and mood, it was like a scene he has seen before. About the lucky aura? No, it’s not about how lucky the team is for Bokuto finally getting back on his feet that easily, Kenma feels this one is different from those common scenes.

Kenma watches them as he imagines a certain view with the two of them at the center and realizes where this could lead one day. Akaashi is doing it again… The vibe he gives off through the way he acts around certain people, especially Bokuto has clearly made a small impact at that moment. Kenma could see it but doesn’t know why… he wasn’t sure what it was.

But he can feel it, certainly… maybe because he has seen it before, but where?

“This is the fastest recovery I have seen,” Kuroo mentions, standing beside Kenma on their side of the court. “This is the first time I saw a recovery,” Kenma replies. Kuroo hums in response before leaving both of them in a silence that’s enough to describe as comfortable.

Both of them watch the two share a laugh before they finally part from the net… Kenma has seen this before, he swears. He subconsciously waits for a random memory to come in flashes… but nothing came.

He didn’t question it, he never really questioned those flashes, it just comes to him naturally but now, it feels like a part of it finally concluded. His chest warms suddenly; he looks up to Kuroo to notice he’s wearing the same expression. “Let’s head back,” Kuroo says before looking at Kenma who nods in response before parting.

The game continued, with Akaashi now making sure Bokuto won’t fall apart once again. Kuroo would occasionally interact with Kenma and would tease each other whenever they have the chance which somehow made Kenma feel a little out-going. The flow of the game went back into rhythm as both teams continued to push through.

The third set was supposed to be pressuring but not for the four friends. They simply enjoyed playing instead, exchanging banters in between the pauses every time one team scores a point. What happened with Akaashi and Bokuto certainly did a small impact on the four of them, or Kenma realizes this as he watches Akaashi smile at Bokuto whenever his attacks were successful. He would look at Kuroo and he’d wear this unreadable expression between longing and nostalgia as he looks at them too. He didn’t question it, he just let himself live in that moment.

His worries were gone suddenly; it was like it’s just the four of them at that moment.

“Are you an owl or a cat? I really can’t tell,” Kuroo questions Kenma, peeking over the other side.

“Why don’t you keep your eyes on me to really know,” Kenma answers as he catches his breath.

“Then you’d trick me with your strategy. As much as I want to just look at you, we’ve got a set to win,”

“Nope! This is our set. I can’t let Akaashi empty my wallet for Taiyaki,” Bokuto butts in as he looks at Akaashi who’s wearing his game face.

“Let’s see how your skills play out until the end then,” Akaashi smirks.

“It’s like your inviting trouble to your doorsteps Akaashi,” Kenma replies at his remarks.

“Oh, just watch me. I may look soft but I’m not that fragile,”

“You hear that Bokuto? all and we’ll show you who owns the court,” Kuroo exclaims at his owl head best friend.

“You’re on!!”

Both teams were rather puzzled watching their captains and setters interact throughout the game and just simply wonders… ‘What possibly could have gone down between the four?’

Seeing the four felt like it was meant to be for them to be in the same room, despite being the two pair being each other’s opponent at the moment. The two teams pushed through until the end, until Fukurodani only needs one point to win the match.

Kenma looks through his choices as he goes under the ball near the net. “Kenma! LEFT!” Bokuto yells, already on his feet, ready to jump as high as he can. Kuroo clicks his tongue as he ran in Bokuto’s direction.

As Kenma touches the ball, looking as if he’s going to set it, he immediately flicks his wrist to guide the ball to the other side of the court. Nekoma didn’t catch it, the ball simply bounced on their court to Kuroo’s feet.

Kuroo’s gaze darts from the ball to Kenma who was giving him a smug expression. ‘We won,’ His expression screams. Kuroo sighs as he chuckles at the view. Fukurodani cheers as Bokuto gave Kenma the tightest hug he’d ever received.

“I guess I’ll be seeing Bokuto every day from now on,” Akaashi says, walking next to Kuroo.

“You like him?” Kuroo asks in a teasing manner before receiving a glare from the Nekoma setter.

“What about what happened between you and Kenma? Aren’t you going to resolve that or have you resolved it with your continuous flirting?”

“I wasn’t flirting!”

*** 

“THANK YOU VERY MUCH,” And so the practice match officially ends. The clean-up begins as Fukurodani and Nekoma started catching up with each other, introducing the first years as well. Kuroo and Bokuto are on ok terms now, too.

“Guys! I want you to meet Akaashi!” Bokuto pulls Akaashi for Fukurodani to finally meet the man their captain never shuts up about.

Kenma already gathered enough courage to properly apologize to the two Nekoma players when he was putting on his jacket, so he walked up to Yaku and Lev who are currently talking to one of his teammates. Kenma is still nervous around strangers (aren’t we all?), but he’s not going to waste this opportunity.

“I’m sorry about earlier,” Kenma bows, but Yaku has his arms up with a reassuring expression. “It’s alright, no harm done…, Kozume-kun was it? I’m Yaku Morisuke, 3rd year, Kuroo’s friend,” Kenma nods.

“You’re a great setter, you really took us by surprise at the second half of the first set,” Yaku smiles. Kenma couldn’t help but feel a little flattered by the comment, he unknowingly fiddles with his fingers as he replies, “Um, thank you,”

“You seemed like a fast-thinker too, you figured out where I was going to head when you tossed the ball to your team’s number 3,” Lev cuts in earning a smack from his upperclassman. “Lev, manners,”

“Ah sorry,” The taller one titters before facing Kenma with puppy energy, “I’m Haiba Lev, 1st year! You’re a really great player! We thought you were going to be an experimental player for Fukurodani’s line-up because of your performance on the first set, but you’re actually their regular setter,” He blabbers, earning another smack from Yaku.

“Watch what you spew out of your mouth! I’m sorry, he’s really straight-forward to others,”

“It’s ok, I don’t mind,” it was Kenma’s turn to reassure. Now that he thinks about it, his low performance was caused by his feeling’s distraction and of course, Kuroo’s gaze now and then during the game.

Of course, he was thinking about the embarrassment from that night at the riverbank. It gradually faded as the game progresses and he actually felt comfortable. He wasn’t surprised when he was experiencing it but now that he thinks about it, he couldn’t help but feel a little flustered.

“LEV! Help me on this one! Yaku-san, have you seen my water bottle anywhere?” Their teammate calls. “See you again soon Kozume-kun, it was nice meeting you,” Yaku smiles as Lev waves. “Likewise, Yaku-san, Lev-kun,” Kenma replies, leaving him alone.

“Kozume! Please return this net for me, will you?” Komi requests as he hands the folded net to the semi-blonde. “Um, sure,” he replies, already walking on his way to the storage room of their gym.

Kenma takes notice of the sunlight that is peeking through the gym windows and the doors. The color indicates it’s almost sunset.

_Ah… sunset_.

He simply acknowledges it before walking inside the seemingly empty dark storage room. He looks around before heading to the spot where he needs to put the net.

“Did you notice it too?” an alarmingly familiar voice spoke in the corner of the room, startling the poor semi-blonde upon realizing he wasn’t alone inside the room after all. “You scared me,” Kenma expresses as he tries to compose himself after Kuroo sets the pole he was holding to its place. “Sorry about that,” Kuroo apologizes.

“What do you mean? Notice what?” Kenma asks, placing the net down.

“The two, it’s like something straight out of a movie or something,” the raven-head replies.

Kenma recalls the scene, and indeed, that’s one way to describe it. He remembered how the two were caught up in their own moment and all the two can do was watch, unfamiliar feelings flowing through them like water flowing down the stream.

If Kenma describes it… it was giving him peace, but he’s not yet sure why. Maybe it’s just the wholesome feeling for finally seeing Bokuto out of his dejected state.

“Yeah… What about it?” Kenma asks, “Nothing, really,” Kuroo replies.

Kenma hums as he starts to walk outside the storage room but he was stopped by Kuroo putting his hand on the younger one’s shoulder. Kenma was a bit surprised at the contact, he turns to face Kuroo. “About the last time…” the raven-head began.

‘So he _does_ remember it,’ Kenma’s anxiety somehow threatening to return if it goes to a turn he doesn’t like. “Didn’t I tell you to please forget about it?” Kenma averts his gaze downwards, feeling the same rush once again in his cheeks, “No, it’s not really about that particular part of that conversation,” Kuroo clarifies, still finding the right words to say.

“I was just taken aback since I didn’t expect that there’s actually a real deal myth,” Kuroo finally adds. “I wasn’t trying to tease you at that time, or maybe I was, it’s a little complicated how feelings work,” He says, scratching his cheek.

“Go on…?” Kenma encourages, noticing he’s not yet finished with what he wants to say.

“If it was really a secret, I apologize, and I didn’t really mean to push you to spew those details. I wasn’t expecting it,” Kuroo finishes with a small bow. Kenma wasn’t sure what to say next.

“Well… um, the timing was almost perfect. It’s not like I was forced to tell those things to you,” The semi-blonde replies, fiddling with his fingers.

“You mean, you wanted to tell me?”

“Not to you, um… I don’t know, it just felt like you’re the right person to talk to until I thought you were just kidding around,” Kenma stammers a bit, receiving a nod from the other.

“Right, the timing…”

The two just stand there as silence takes over. Kenma looks upon the taller one without moving his head, seeing there are no signs of him continuing the conversation, the smaller one speaks.

“So why were you obsess about luck anyway? That’s basically all you say with me,” This startled the taller one a bit, not anticipating his reply.

“I mean, I told you before you remind me of the old legend…” Kuroo trails off but suddenly remembers something. “Well, actually I had a backstory about it when I was in first year, I guess I should tell you about it,”

“You didn’t tell me this before,” Kenma raises an eyebrow. “Because you went all out, and you didn’t even hear me out,”

“I’m sorry. But at least now I won’t try to avoid you this time, I’m going to listen to you,” Kenma replies. “You were avoiding me?” Kenma blinks, realizing what he just said.

“No...?”

“Oho, you were! I really apologize for making you uncomfortable around me,” Kuroo titters a little bit.

“I wasn’t… um, not because of you,” Kenma stammers once again, looking at Kuroo who was encouraging him to continue. “It’s because you might think I’m a crazy person,”

“Oh, just you wait until you hear my story,” Kuroo chuckles slightly as he replies. The conversation was suddenly interrupted by a loud voice outside, calling for a certain second-year. “Kenma! Help me with the other poles please!”

“Sure!” Kenma replies to the voice before facing Kuroo to conclude their talk.

“You still owe me that Takoyaki, why don’t I tell you all about it on the way home? Sounds good?” The raven-head suggests.

“Um, sure…” the semi-blonde replies, turning his back on him on his way out of the room. “I’ll be waiting by the station, let’s go home together,” Kuroo smiles as Kenma nods in response.

“… sure,”

*** 

“Thank you for the meal!”

Kenma was standing at the gate, holding Kuroo’s takoyaki as he watches the raven-head exit the train and hears that this was the first thing he tells the semi-blonde who waited for almost 30 minutes. ‘And here I thought I was too early; this idiot is just late…’

The younger one gives the bag and both exits the station, side by side on their way to their neighborhood.

“So, why were you obsessed with luck and me again?” Kenma finally asks. “This is going to be a long story about me, so sit tight,”

“Ok, you can start now,” Kenma signals as they continued walking in the fairly cold night of Tokyo.

“You see…” Kuroo began after gulping down a takoyaki.

“… when I was in first year, I had to move from Osaka to live with my mom here, but it wasn’t a good start. I had a friend whose family are believers of the Legend, because, as I was told, they were descendants of the person in the story,” Kenma’s eyes widened in wonder.

“The Legend is real?”

“The people were real, stop interrupting…”

“Ok,” Kenma takes a bite off his own food.

“Anyways, this guy and I used to hate each other but because of how similar our problems at that time were, we got close. I accidentally got him into trouble once but there was nothing I could about it. But I kept asking him if there’s anything and so he told me about finding the Fallen Star,” Kenma chokes a bit after hearing the last part.

“Wait, so when you were in your first year… you tried to find _the_ Fallen Star? As in _the_ Wishing Star?”

“Yeah, it was a weird era…” Kuroo smiles awkwardly, as anyone would if they recall a memory that they consider embarrassing.

“He told me about the Star, how it could exist anywhere, that they grant wishes and of course…” The raven-head turns to Kenma who was chewing on his food.

“… How they bring luck to where they go,” The other simply nods in response and hums as an encouragement for him to continue.

“He was my best friend at that time and we bonded through the Legend that we studied together, you know… to figure out how we’re going to identify the Star and such, looking for a few believers and witnesses of such phenomenon. Apparently, I got obsessed and went all out,”

“If you find the Star… then?”

“Then we’d get wishes!” Kuroo exclaims with enthusiasm.

“Wishes?” Kenma raises an eyebrow at him.

“We were still thinking like children, my old friend even told the story like a freaking fairytale,” Kuroo shakes his head at the memory, feeling a little flustered before proceeding.

“We had our greatest desires at those times. There’s also another friend of ours, we were a trio. She inspired the idea of fairytale wishes, which kinda made us a little motivated and a little crazy about finding this Star. I think it was the reason why we tried looking for it in the first place,” Kuroo laughs a bit upon recalling that certain memory… Kenma slowly nods.

“What kinds of desire?”

“Well, mine used to be in OK terms with my mom that time, but it changed coz life started going pretty well after meeting Bokuto,” Kuroo answers, throwing the empty paper box to the nearest trashcan.

“The thing is, I was only hanging out with the guy, researching and going around Tokyo to gather information just to get out of the house since being with mom back in first year really upsets me. Basically, I started caring about him since he was the only friend who understands me, but he was a very private person, I barely know shit about him except about the Legend he told me about,” Kenma nods, as he, too, throws the empty paper plate to the trash.

“… what does it have to do with me?” He asks, pointing towards himself.

“Well… you see, he just left our friendship in the dirt and told me to stop meeting him anymore and that I should forget about our ‘research’,” Kenma was caught off-guard by this. He noticed Kuroo’s expression slowly changed.

“Why?”

“He said it was childish…” Kuroo replies, kicking a small rock from his feet. “That his family are simply believers and that he shouldn’t have roped me into their own family matters,”

Kenma studies Kuroo’s expression at the moment. He was recalling an old memory that involved someone who used to important to him, of course, he’d look a little melancholic. Those times must’ve been great for young Kuroo that its end must have broken him.

Kenma notices the slight frustration in his face as he continues his story.

“Man, I was seriously upset at him, since we also had progressed and all. I was disappointed but I assumed it was because he stopped believing anymore since his girlfriend left him, oh she’s the third member of our trio by the way,”

“Oh,” was all Kenma could respond as he listens.

“I continued researching until he told me to stop everything and told me to leave it in the past. He ended our friendship then and there. We’re just strangers now but I still won’t forget the fact that he was a great friend, fun to mess with. I guess I subconsciously thought to myself that if I do find the star, he’d believe again then we’d finally get our wishes too,” Kuroo slows down with a sigh.

“So when you assumed it was me… you were thinking you’d get your old friend back,” Kenma guesses.

“That’s one way to put it. But it was a long time ago. The past is the past, but because of it, I still found you. I suddenly got excited when I connected a few dots about you until you told me that you’re actually the myth reborn, that’s when I realized it doesn’t really matter anymore since that part of my past is gone, I have priorities and own wishes now,” Kuroo replies, ending it with a smile.

“You were like… so desperate to find answers, was it because of your friend?” Kenma asks, a little hesitant considering how possibly sensitive the topic is for his friend.

“I believe so. I actually got a little frustrated about why you came into my life so late, but somehow, it felt like there’s a different reason, I’m not sure what. Even if it was for him, he wouldn’t even talk to me or answer my texts. I think he gave up on the search, well, I gave up on the search. It’s been 2 years since I had a decent conversation with him,” There was a small pause between them, mostly because of Kenma looking for the right words to reply. He never really experienced this type of loss since Shoyo was the only person who stuck by his side.

He couldn’t imagine the pain of being left by someone in their life after going through a lot of things together… it must be hard for Kuroo, Kenma thinks.

“I’m sorry about your friendship,” He finally speaks but in a quiet tone.

“Don’t be, it’s not your fault… I’ve found closure a long time ago with Bokuto by my side, at least then I get to leave that part of my life in peace. It’s in the past, so it’s not a big deal anymore,” Kuroo replies with another smile, brighter than before as Kenma hums in response, briefly remembering something.

“You’re not a crazy person…” Kenma points out, which confused the raven-head. “Huh?”

“Um… I told you a while ago that you might think that I’m a crazy person and you said to wait until I hear your story,” Kenma clarifies, Kuroo titters a bit in response.

“If I tell you this, don’t laugh,”

“Ok,” The semi-blonde replies in a flat tone.

“Since my priorities changed, I also got excited when I met you because if I do get wishes then…” the raven head pauses, taking a deep breath before finishing his sentence.

“I’d wish to find out the true ending of the Legend,”

Kenma, once again, got taken by surprise by this raven-head third-year dork. He exhales a puff of air. Wait, he shouldn’t be laughing at this, he’s being rude.

“You… think you were finally going to find out about the ending of the legend? After what I told you that night?” Kenma asks, looking away in an attempt to hide his amused expression.

“You’re laughing,” It was Kuroo’s turn to deadpan.

“I’m not,”

“Yes, you are,”

“No, am not,”

Kenma peeks through his hair to see Kuroo squinting his eyes at him. “Yes, you are, you think it’s silly!”

“There’s an ending to it. What? you want the secret ending to a love story?” Kenma replies, finally showing his face to Kuroo.

“Well, I was a teenage boy who got intrigued by a story of two lovers that has no ending, of course, I’d want to know what happened to them!” Kuroo crosses his arms as he looks away, a little flustered. “And ever since I discovered the story, it just stuck in my mind and until now, I’m still into it. Maybe because it held a special place in me,”

“What’s with you and the legend?”

“You’re laughing at me,” Kuroo repeats. Kenma simply shrugs as he suppresses a giggle. “I’m intrigued too. Imagine the excitement I felt when my grandmother called me the myth incarnate after telling me the story for the first time,” Kenma replies, finally calming down.

“Oh ho? Don’t tell me that you’re waiting for your assassin to sweep you off of your feet and fall in love?”

“What? No!” Kenma replies, a laugh escaping his mouth. “Actually, it’s not ‘being the myth incarnate’ thing that made me intrigued in the legend in the first place... We’re actually quite the same,”

“How so?”

“The story just… it holds a special place in me too. It’s like a childhood story I held dear, and my grandma calling me the myth reborn is just a bonus,”

“But then you’re actually the Star,” Kenma shrugs, “I believed that when I was a kid, then stops, but then weird things just happen out of nowhere, so yeah… also I became a little skeptical since it feels like I’m disrespecting the real deal and…” He pauses, briefly remembers his old school, and shakes his head to fend off those terrible memories.

“… here we are, no one really believes in the myth anymore, so I just kept my mouth shut about it. It’s not like I have someone to talk to, not even my only friend knows about the Legend, so who knows if I’m the real deal or not,”

“You have me now, who believes in the myth and knows the legend by heart,”

“Like a freaking fairytale?”

“Like a freaking fairytale,” Kuroo nods in response, chuckles in between.

Kenma didn’t realize he was smiling the whole time… “Hey! You’re actually smiling. It looks nice on you,”

For a moment, the semi-blonde feels his cheeks heating up and his blood rushing. He slaps his cheeks lightly, in an attempt to calm them down. “Hey now, don’t try to hide it,” Kuroo takes notice of his reaction as he tries to pry his hands off of the semi-blonde’s face.

“You actually want to wish for an ending?” Kenma asks, to redirect his attention, and is successful.

“Something’s missing with the Legend, I can feel it!”

“Well, I don’t like the ending of the Legend in my grandma’s version either, too tragic,”

“Right?? If you really grant wishes then at least we’d find out,” Kenma pauses a bit. Kuroo seemed so sure about it. How is he so sure about it? well since how are they supposed to know if he’s actually the real one.

“Do you really believe what I told you before?”

“Even if it’s just a thought or a theory, I mean… a myth could be real, who knows what is what or which is which, how are we supposed to know? Thus, we simply believe,”

There it is again… this ‘believe more and things will go your way,’ mindset. For a second, he felt a little déjà vu and just simply smiles. Thinking about what happened that night at the riverbank, Kenma realizes it wasn’t really a regretful decision after all.

Who would’ve thought this raven-head third-year volleyball idiot would be aware of this particular story Kenma used to hear when he was a kid.

_At least now, I won’t feel a little alone anymore…_

Was it by chance? It could be... Maybe since moving to his new neighborhood, the subconscious wish Kuroo made came as good luck, with him crossing paths together… Ah, somehow what Kuroo said about luck before made sense, Kenma thought.

He’s aware that there’s another word for this, what was it again? Oh yeah.

_It’s fate…_

_Could it be fate?_

“You sound like Bokuto,” Kenma points out. “Would you believe me if I tell you I was the one who inspired him to believe more?” Kuroo grins cheekily.

“No way,”

“Yeah way! Oh, and by the way, he doesn’t know about the Legend and what I researched about back in first year. You’re the first person I told,”

“But why? I thought you literally tell each other anything,”

“I made a promise not to tell anyone unless they’re involved. You’re basically involved so I knew I had to tell you… and of course, even if you’re not, I would still tell you,”

_Huh? But why would…_

“Even if it didn’t _happen to be me_?” Kenma asks… “Yeah, there’s just something about you Kenma, ever since we met. Things started to make sense around you, maybe that’s why I always push the topic of luck,”

There was a small pause between them.

“Maybe because I’m the Star,” Kenma mutters.

“Maybe you are,”

They were interrupted by a sudden water droplet on their noses.

*** 

The two decided to stay at the waiting shed for a little while as they wait for the rain to stop. Both shared stories, to pass time. Kenma told Kuroo a few about the lucky instances he believed his presence caused and Kuroo told Kenma about a few stories he heard from people when he was researching about this.

It was just the two of them, stuck under the small roof waiting for time to pass by… enjoying each other’s company as the rain shower above them.

Talking about life, a few experiences, and how takoyaki tastes different in Osaka. It was a fairly good time if Kenma describes it. And their conversation finally ends once the rain passed, deeming it okay for them to go home.

“So, are we good?” Kuroo asks for the last time. “Yeah, let’s just keep this to ourselves, Ok?” Kuroo nods.

“By the way, I didn’t think you’d buy me takoyaki,” Kuroo teases. “Don’t get used to it, I’ll win the next bet and I’ll have you buying me an apple pie,”

“Ooh, I like that attitude, you should be more confident Kenma-kun,” Kuroo says as he pats the smaller one’s shoulder.

“I embarrassed myself for being confident,” Kenma replies, still cringing at the memory. “You were alright, don’t worry now,” Kuroo tries to reassure him.

“I literally told you I am a myth reborn,”

“You are one. Oh! by the way, do you control the lucky powers or …?”

“I have a thing I call ‘Lucky aura’, I can’t control it. It just comes by chance,” Kenma explains.

“Are you even aware of how cool you are? I was literally obsessed with you and now I’m actually talking to an actual Star,”

“We don’t know that for sure,”

“Still,”

As they stayed at the waiting shed, they knew they had to go home anytime soon. Both faced each other, to finally conclude. “See you next time Kenma! Oh, is it alright if I call you Kenma?”

“You’ve been calling me Kenma, it’s ok, I don’t really mind,”

“Oh ok, so see you next time,” Kuroo waves but was stopped by Kenma, who tugged his shirt. The raven head faces him.

“By the way…” Kenma stammers a bit. “Hmm?”

“Thank you for telling me, your past… your story, your secret,”

“Well, you trusted me enough to tell me _your_ secret,” Kuroo replies. “Yeah,”

“And thank you for listening too,” Kuroo smiles… Kenma’s chest leaped for a second, before smiling back…

*** 

_“You know, it’s probably not too late to clear a few misunderstandings to your old friend,” Kenma says. “As much as I want to reconnect with him, it’s impossible,”_

_“You should believe more,” Kuroo chuckles in response._

_“I know what you’re trying to do Kenma, I appreciate it, but the thing is… once I leave something in the past, it stays there… but then again, it often comes back to haunt me,”_

_“But you finally found me, are you not going to do anything about it?” Kenma asks._

_“I found you, and I’ll let you be. I can’t just take you against your will just to keep you by myself and decorate you like a Maneki-Neko statue. Nope! You’re a human being and you have your own life,” Kuroo answers._

_“I meant the wishes,”_

_“Oh, wishes?_

_…Actually, my old friend never told us how the Star grants wishes… so, I don’t know,”_

At least that’s what Kuroo made up to answer the question. Suguru never did tell them how the Star grants wishes… up to this day, it remained a mystery to him.

That night, as Kuroo lies to bed, he expected his old memories back in his first-year to haunt him again as it did the night when Kenma told him about him being the myth reborn. As he let himself get comfortable on his bed, much to his surprise, Kenma’s smile came into mind instead.

‘Kenma…’

As Kuroo recalls their conversation, he realized how embarrassing he sounded. He ran his hand through his face as he groans in realization. ‘Well, at least we’re fair,’ He thinks, letting out a chuckle for himself before attempting to catch his sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok... if you are one of those who read this story since the very beginning, like since its first update, then HI! WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK SO FAR? I really wanna know. (T v T)  
> And if you're one of those who just discovered this fic, WELCOME! WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK?
> 
> And the next update will be a little later than usual, Chapter 8 will be a little longer compared to the other chapters. and school is starting again (which kinda sucks) so I might be a little slow on future updates...
> 
> ANYWAY! thank you for taking your time to read and for reading my fic! I will be editing this story from time to time and there might be slight changes if you check the chapter again... I apologize, I'm really bad at editing (- _ -;)
> 
> See you in the next chapter!


	8. Stars... and Curry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma reopens the book that holds the story close to his heart and finds something interesting.
> 
> ***
> 
> Kuroo gets to cook for tonight's dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First of all, I would like to thank you Tati_xo for beta reading and helping me edit this chapter! I really appreciate you offering to beta read for the fic and I dedicate this chapter to you! (*^ - ^* ) hee hee hee
> 
> So here's chapter 8! Hope you'll like it!

Kenma sits on the floor as his mind lingers at the memory of his last conversation with Kuroo. He never had a moment where he would think about being the Wishing Star of the Legend itself. After that conversation with Kuroo, it feels as if it’s no mere coincidence of him being the reborn Star from that particular Legend.

A mythical being of the ancient times still lives to this day and as a normal teenage boy? There’s no way he could be it, Kenma thought. Reincarnation makes sense… but why Kenma?

He flops on his bed thinking a little too hard about it. What’s with the Wishing Star anyway? How is he supposed to know if it’s really him? A long time ago, it was only a secret just for himself but now he learns that there are actually other people researching it, _looking for it_! Kuroo assured him he’s past that phase now and would simply treat Kenma like any other person.

But why Kenma? he thinks again, not sure if he should feel amazed or disturbed that it happened to be him. Why does Kenma have to deal with overthinking about his existence? He’s just a human being with special lucky powers and now he’s aware that the world is indeed big with so many untold stories left and right that may hold answers to his questions, or _small_ considering a 1 out of 7 billion chance of getting picked, it had to be him _._

He sighs, realizing it all started with the Legend his grandma used to tell him, how he believed that he was the myth and actually being the myth, and then a person comes out of the blue to tell him ‘hey, there’s actually people researching about you, and you’re probably the real deal’.

Kenma sighs yet again.

He doesn’t need to know about the history of his existence, it’s not necessary, it doesn’t hold an important part to his everyday life nor his future. ‘After all… No one is sure that it is me… not even me,’ Kenma chants in his head. But researchers out there spend their time proving if this is real or not and figure out a way on how to find it…

The past is a weird place, like the ‘centuries ago’ past. Making people in the present go all out to find out the mysteries behind these. Well, since the past often holds the answer, right? Legends are often written to tell a lesson as they are based on real events that happened on the date when it was written.

Come to think of it, the myth is part of a written Legend… well, lost legend. A story about an assassin who was tasked to murder the Star and falls in love. ‘It’s like a normal love story…’ Kenma thinks.

By the way, how did the assassin know that their lover was the Star in the first place….

At that moment, something in Kenma finally clicks.

‘That’s it!’

Kenma picks himself up immediately and scans his bookshelf to look for a certain book that he received from his grandmother. After locating it, he immediately pulls it out of the place and carefully opens it. “Yamaneko’s Lover,” Kenma mutters as he turns the page.

‘The title clearly states it’s about the Star since that person is Yamaneko’s love,’ Kenma thought, turning pages as he tries to find the part where the one he’s looking for could be.

As he turns a familiar page, and there he finally sees it…

“As the gods designed the stars, one escaped from its place and fell on earth…” he trails off, muttering the words inaudibly now and then as he tries to find the right information he was looking for.

“The star was lonely, so it dwelled inside another person's body to experience how a human lives on earth...” He traces his fingers through the characters, rereading the story as it also fills him with nostalgia. As he kept reading, he finally found it.

“Yamaneko simply knew it was the Star, for the happiness and fortune their presence had caused…” Kenma pauses after reading the rest of the sentence, realizing the answer was just in this book after all! Instead of expressing frustration, Kenma rushes in front of his mirror and leans forward, looking at his own eyes.

“Yamaneko knew that he found his target, once their gazes met and saw the night sky in his _gunmetal blue orbs_ …” the book says.

“And you are like this star, Kenma. And your eyes are like the night sky, our lucky boy,” his grandfather’s voice came to his mind as he remembers this very line he always tells him when he was a kid.

Kenma stood in front of the mirror, confused… “But I can’t see it,” He says… slumping in disappointment.

“Why did it say that ‘one will know if they see the stars in their eyes,’? … maybe I was thinking too literal,” Kenma mutters, rereading the characters once again just to make sure he got the information right.

*** 

_“How are you sure that he is the one?” The man asks as he clutches the young boy’s arms, gesturing towards him._

_“Look closely into his eyes, you can see it if you look close enough,” The elder says, and so the man does what he was told and kneels in front of the young boy, looking closely at the child’s eyes._

_As their eyes met, the young dark-haired boy didn’t blink. His eyes glowed like the sun’s final light during the sunset before it sparkles like a firework exploding in the dark sky. And finally, the light calms down as it stays like the constellations seen in the night sky…_

_The man was awed… the boy didn’t move as he proceeded to gaze downwards after a few seconds._

_It only took him a few seconds before expressing his surprise. “I don’t believe it! The town was blessed because of this young boy!” he exclaims, almost jumping in excitement. “Yes, he is indeed special,” The elder nods._

_“But their town was still burned to the ground, he’s the only survivor…” The man remembers, looking towards the young boy who still has his gaze on his feet. The elder walks up to the young boy but he doesn't move a muscle, he just stands there as the old man puts his hands above his head to encourage him._

_“How did you escape, son?” The elder asks, patiently waiting for an answer as the boy starts to sniffle…. “I… got lucky,” he replies, quietly. “Do you remember the people who burned your town?”_

_The boy nods, “They are called…the L-lynx,” he mutters. The elder frowns upon hearing the word he anticipated._

_“He must be taken to a place with security. If I take him with me, I cannot guarantee his safety from that dangerous clan and their organization,” The elder tells the man. “The Yamaneko Clan? They run the Lynx Organization?!” The elder shuts him up before checking his surroundings to see if there are people around them, “You shut your mouth or their spies will hear you!” He checks again, only to see that it was just the three of them. He sighs in relief before letting him go._

_“It is clear that they are after the boy, but I am sure that they didn’t identify him that’s why they just burned his town, knowing they might have killed him while doing so,” The elder caresses the head of the trembling young boy at his side, to comfort him._

_Poor young boy… he must be thinking that he wished that he had never been born… but how can he? He lived every day with a smile on his face. But what happened on this day certainly tainted this young boy’s innocence._

_“Where is he going to stay?” The man finally asks… “I know a place… a certain nobleman in the palace promised that he will do anything I ask in return for saving his life,” The elder replies…_

_The young boy just lets his tears fall in a soundless weep._

_~_

_“We’ll present him to the palace as the Wishing Star. He can bring Good Luck and Fortune to the palace in exchange for his security … he will do well under the palace roofs; those killers can’t step foot inside the palace gates after all…” The nobleman says to the elder._

_“Thus, he can live his life with safety until he reaches a fulfilling end…” The elder mutters seeing the young boy walk away, disappearing from a mansion with maidens holding his hands._

_~_

_The young boy has his legs folded in front of the royal family, with his gazes still locked downwards. He couldn’t quite describe the feeling that was pooling in his stomach. It could be anxiety or just the pain of losing his family still lingering there. Whatever it is, it was weighing his head down, not being able to gather the courage or strength to even fix his posture._

_“Tell us your name, boy,” The Empress speaks, startling the young boy. He takes a deep breath and finally manages to lift his head…_

_It wasn’t the fancy robes, the shining jewelry, or the palace pillars that caught his eyes._

_It was another young boy’s golden eyes… he was wearing royal attire. It was the Prince himself!_

_It stayed like that for a moment, it was as if his mind suddenly rewrote everything that he thought the future has in store for him. Their gazes lock, sensing that time seemed to slow. He was snapped out of the trance as the Emperor’s sun-struck robes distracted him. He was waiting for his reply… and so he finally opened his mouth._

_“My name is Keiji, your Majesty,” he bows, darting his eyes to the young prince once again, who already made his way in front of the kneeling dark-haired one, ignoring his nurse’s scolding. This startled him, unsure how to respond until the prince spoke first._

_“My name is Koutarou… Your eyes are beautiful,” the young prince smiles._

_It felt like the first time, his heart finally started beating again..._

Akaashi gasps for air as he wakes up suddenly. He took a few deep breaths before realizing he was not in his own room. He noticed he had his sister sleeping in his arms as he was almost at the edge of the small bed. ‘Kaori’s room… Why am I here again?’

Oh, they were reading a manga until both fell asleep, he remembers upon seeing the manga his old friend made back in the US. He remembers that dear friend of his too well, Udai Tenma. They used to hang out just because Kaori wanted to read a manga but her brother couldn’t find anything that met her expectations until they met this aspiring mangaka.

Akaashi remembers hanging out with him whenever he felt hopeless because of his sister’s illness. Because of his mangas, young Keiji got to see his sister smile and hear her exclaim in excitement despite her worsening condition.

They knew they had to part because of his sister’s request to see Japan before she passes… But now, everything is alright and Akaashi wonders how his friend was doing back in the US. He closes the manga and sets it on the side table before adjusting to remove himself from the bed.

Akaashi peels himself off from his sister’s embrace carefully. The second-year slowly takes a few steps away from the monitors and tubes before finally reaching the door. He takes a look back at his sleeping sister before closing the door slightly behind him.

‘Kenma sent a grumpy cat meme a while ago,’ Akaashi recalls as he opens his phone to check the time. He yawns, knowing that he only has 3 more hours before the day starts. He headed to the kitchen to grab a drink, when suddenly…

_“Your eyes are like the night sky… Keiji,”_

A voice filled with passion and love, it belonged to someone familiar...

Maybe he’s just sleepy right now, that’s why he assumed it was from Bokuto.

Akaashi gulps the last drop of water from the glass before setting it down. He walks on his way to his own room and onto his own cold bed. It sounds sad, when he puts it that way, since he doesn’t have any reason to be sad anymore, that’s for sure. His sister is recovering well but of course, she can’t do anything on her own yet.

Akaashi closes his eyes as his mind lingers on the memory of the day hope prevailed in his sister’s battles with her sickness. He used to think that there’s no way he could be happy again once Kaori is gone, until the day he met the 3, he came and went home to the best news he’s ever heard in his whole life. It was indeed a miracle, ever since stepping out of the plane, it felt like something big was about to happen but he didn’t even think that it would be something good.

‘Come to think of it, how will I know that I’m actually happy and not lying to myself…?’ Akaashi thought, upon seeing the image of his sister still connected to the tubes in his mind. _Relapses_ can happen, he remembers the doctor’s words all too well.

Stop… he’s beginning to overthink about this. He just needs to stop and breathe, and relax for a moment…and try to sleep.

But he can’t.

‘Just think of something different, Keiji… something different,’ he thought to himself as he turned to his side, finding a comfortable position until he found it. And at the same time, a certain memory of Bokuto’s smile after his emo mode came to his mind, which replaced all of those worries with a different feeling.

He remembers seeing him smile, it wasn’t a proud or determined smile that he usually sees from this bright third-year. It was a soft smile… like the one he saw back when he grinned at him as a goodbye on the day they met or like the one when he…

_“Your eyes are beautiful,”_

‘When was that time?’ Akaashi asks himself. As far as he knows… he never met Bokuto in his childhood days, but why would he remember such a detailed memory of him being a young boy? ‘Did I dream a while ago?’ Akaashi asks himself again, going through his mind to recall whether he did or not only to find nothing but lost memories of what his mind showed him in his sleep.

Odd… it’s what Akaashi can describe to what just he encountered. He exhaled a deep breath and thought to himself: ‘At least I succeeded in distracting myself from negative thoughts, but I can’t get greedy again…’

He sighs once again, finally finding the perfect chance to drift into sleep. And finally, his three friends came into his mind… Kuroo’s annoying smirk during practice, Kenma’s side glances, and especially Bokuto and his smile. He faced the ceiling and covered his face with his arm.

What is with Bokuto crossing his mind all the time now?

Great, a new subject that he might overthink one day. But it shouldn’t be that bad, right? After all, whenever he thinks about Bokuto, things seem to become all right.

He let that thought linger for a while before he even realized that he was already asleep…

*** 

Suguru takes a sip of his coffee as he taps his feet while waiting for Mika to arrive at the café. After making a big effort in persuading to meet up with him, he prays at least the Mika he knew would still be the Mika he’s about to see again. Who was he kidding?

Of course, she would’ve changed by then. He pushed her away and left her without an explanation and now he asks her to meet him after how many years. Suguru was lucky enough to receive a very rare pardon from their Great Elder himself to let Mika get involved with the research their whole family is conducting. Don’t get him wrong, he’s pretty aware of the dangers of what his family is capable of that’s why he wouldn’t let them touch a single hair from Mika.

The Great Elder accepted the favor because, with her, he could have access to the lost documents her uncle was looking after to gather certain information.

Like when the trio was still complete, he, Kuroo, and Mika would occasionally hang out there while searching for evidence of the myth. Now he finally gets the chance to reconnect with her and possibly explain a lot of misunderstandings and of course let out the words that were left unspoken…

Well, that is if she agrees to join him again.

Like a harsh flash flood, anxiety suddenly took over his body. His legs kept jittering as the thought of Mika telling him ‘the past is past,’ is enough for the third-year to feel as if he’s going to snap anytime. He found an opportunity and grabbed it, and now he’s hoping for the best for this to work. Suguru gets to work with the search while trying to reconnect with Mika.

Suguru lowers his head as he sighs, closing his eyes shut in prayer, ‘Please, let this happen…’

“Daishou-kun,” A very familiar voice interrupted his thoughts and perks up, to see Yamaka Mika. His chest suddenly throbbed upon seeing her again after 2 years. It was like the first time he saw her… her hair down while wearing an expression that is considered neutral, but he knows it holds a different meaning…

‘She’s upset…’

“Good morning. Let’s make this quick, what do you want?” She spoke first as she sat down, never breaking eye contact. “Um…” Suguru mutters, a little distracted but immediately snaps himself out of his preoccupied mind and opens his mouth, only to realize he doesn’t know what to say first.

‘Should I apologize? Should I tell her right away? Should I at least be casual? Formal?’

“Good morning too…” was all that came out of his mouth before scratching the back of his head. _Idiot._

“Daishou-kun, you literally begged to meet up with you this weekend, if this is about what you did 2 years ago, you should probably be aware of how late you are,” She says after sliding on the chair across Suguru.

“I know, I’m really sorry. I really am. A lot was going on, I couldn’t-,” The third-year stammers.

“Stop, it’s all done now. I made peace with the past, but just because I agreed to meet up with you doesn’t mean I want to get back with you,” she says, like thousands of needles pricking his heart simultaneously.

‘Keep it together Suguru… that’s not your only objective here,’ (‘But still,’) he reminds himself as he tries to make sure his composure stays firm. “No, I didn’t ask you to meet up because of that…” His voice trailing off, a little preoccupied at what he should say next.

He’s being careful like he was before but it was easy at that time. Now everything has changed... that’s why his mind is filled with uncertainty.

“It’s because of the Wishing Star” He finally finishes. After hearing those words, Mika has her eyebrows raised. An expression Suguru was not sure how to read. Or maybe he’s afraid to conclude since the expression states something that she’s about to say something he wouldn’t want to hear.

‘I guess this is really the end then,’ Suguru sighs, ready to apologize to Mika for wasting her time but she already has her mouth agape, beating him to it.

“I thought it was just a myth… don’t tell me it’s actually real,” Mika says, taking Suguru by surprise, not really expecting for her to get surprised the next second. “Uh… I thought, I mean… isn’t that why we worked so hard? To prove that it’s real?” Suguru recalls their first-year when they were still a trio.

Mika’s eyes widen even more, “It’s really real? You found evidence?” She asks, making Suguru a little taken back once again.

‘Should I tell her _everything_?’ Suguru’s skepticism came back in flashes, somehow not sure if he actually did the right thing in trying to get her involved again. _You’re a true idiot, Suguru._

He nods in response, and Mika’s expression lights up. A familiar feeling throbbed in his chest that he couldn’t help but smile a little. But then Mika frowns as she replies, “You pushed us away so you can enjoy this victory to yourself?”

“What? No! I didn’t push you away, I genuinely need your help-,”

“Yes you did, Daishou. You even told Kuroo-kun hurtful things, I didn’t understand you. You didn’t even tell us the reason why we should stop seeing each other…”

Suguru wants to say something but he doesn’t know what, he’s stuck between keeping the secret to respect his family and telling Mika everything _to_ explain every misunderstanding they had.

“… Now I feel like you only used me for the archives since I offered help at that time. I don’t understand anything Daishou…” She finishes, evident to the tone of her voice that what happened that day was the most painful thing that’s ever happened to her.

“Mika-chan… I wanna…” Suguru trails off again, Mika meets his eyes with a small intensity in her gaze. ‘I don’t want to hurt her anymore…’ he clenches his jaw as he finally finds the words to say.

“I want to tell you everything but there are things that I shouldn’t be telling you for your own good. I needed to keep you safe,” Suguru manages to finish his sentence without wavering.

“From what? You just had to _push_ us away and tell us terrible things when you should at least tell us why,” Mika replies. “We were your friends, we would’ve understood if you told us,” She adds.

“I will. Just… hear me out and I will tell you everything,” He sighs… he couldn’t take it anymore. Those days of their parting were the most painful days he’s ever endured, and he convinced himself that he did it for her and Kuroo’s safety. Now that he’s seen her again, realizing that she was more hurt than him, he’s not sure what to do anymore.

He really wants to tell her… he really does.

_But he doesn’t want to stain her hands with blood…_

And there was silence between them… Not even 30 minutes have passed Mika already wanted to leave… But she couldn't, she also wanted answers that’s why she agreed to meet up with him in the first place. Suguru is now sure of that, but he’s stuck in a dilemma at that moment.

‘If I tell her, she’ll finally be enlightened… but, she’ll see the dark side of everything else,’ Suguru thinks. He clenches his fist, trying not to feel frustrated at the moment until his thoughts are interrupted by Mika. “You promise to not leave out any details?”

‘Promise…’ He looks at Mika’s eyes. That was also the exact word she said when she asked the three of them to stay friends until the end. “Will you guys promise we’ll still be cool after we prove the myth is real?” Her voice at that moment came into his head in a flash. “Yeah, I’d even wish for us to stay inseparable after we find the Star, (Even though Sugu-kun here is a pain-in-the-ass)” he remembers Kuroo’s reply.

Suguru takes a deep breath… he once thought that he doesn’t want Kuroo to get involved any further because he’s afraid that he’ll have to make him do something awful, but now he’s getting Mika involved by telling her. ‘No, I don’t want that… what should I do?’

_I don’t know what to do…_

“I… can’t promise you that,” Mika sighs and frowns, standing abruptly. At that moment he had a feeling, a feeling like weights were being pressed slowly to his chest as he watched her expression change into somewhat of a disappointment.

“I know…” She begins, “I told you before, I made peace with my past, it’s my bad for bringing that up. I don’t think I wanna hear it anymore,” She says, turning her back on him. Suguru froze. “If you really need my help finding more answers with your search… I can still give you everything you need,”

“But after I help you, we will never see each other again. I hope you’ll find what you’re looking for”

“I… alright, thank you for your help Yamaka,”

After that day… Suguru found something different within himself that made him vow to find whoever this Star is or wherever he is. He lost so much trying to find this person, he guessed it would be worth it if he works hard enough to wish for time to turn back.

*** 

Kuroo’s mom roped him to buy groceries with her. It’s not a bad idea, Kuroo thinks. He gets to have quality time with his mother and he gets to spend an afternoon with a mundane activity. It’s nice to relax every once in a while, since practice for the tournament has begun and cram school is becoming a little stressful, Kuroo couldn’t find the perfect time to clear his head and just be a little boring for a moment. Thus, the universe gave him the honor of grocery shopping with his mother. Even if it’s just for an hour or two, it will be worth it.

“Hey mom, I saw the new flavors of the instant ramen you wanted. We should get some,” the raven head suggests while pushing the shopping cart, a few steps behind his mom who is picking up a few goods from the shelf. “I already bought plenty. If you want a different flavor, go ahead and take a few,” his mom answers as she puts a certain spice to their cart, and this caught Kuroo’s attention.

“Mom, can I cook tonight?” He suddenly asks, startling his mom from his sudden outburst. “What are you cooking?” she asks, facing him.

“Grandma’s specialty,” Kuroo smiles as he takes the spice his mom added to their cart and waves it.

“Apple pie?” She raises an eyebrow, not sure if he’s talking about something else. Kuroo shakes his head. “No, that’s her western specialty. I’m talking about her own recipe of curry, I still have her cookbook,” The raven head clarifies.

“Oh curry, how I miss her cooking,” She hums as she smiles with nostalgia glistening through her eyes. “Sure honey, I’m looking forward to dinner already,” she adds.

“I certainly won’t disappoint,” Kuroo grins in reply as he returns the spice to their cart.

They continued checking the shelves in every aisle, sometimes making small talk or just staying quiet. At least Kuroo gets to think about volleyball strategies and how he’s going to organize his school work before the tournament begins in peace while he listens to the faint music from the speakers and the ambiance of the store on that lazy afternoon.

He suddenly remembers Osaka upon coming across a section in an aisle. Kuroo grabbed a tube of wasabi and showed it to his mom. “Whoa, isn’t this the brand dad loved?” he asks, she squints her eyes as she reads the characters written on the tube.

“Not that one, the characters look similar but it’s not that one,” His mom replies before looking over at the same section and scanning the contents before grabbing another tube, similar to what Kuroo’s holding. “It’s this one,” she shows her son.

“This one? This is expensive,” his mom simply giggles.

“Your dad used to say that the only acceptable expensive thing is wasabi and everything else can come in cheap,”

“Oh yeah! He’s still saying that to this day, but I wasn’t sure what he was talking about,” Kuroo replies, returning the tube to the shelf. “We should eat together again, just like the old times the next time they visit,” His mom suggests. “That would be awesome,”

He remembers those times when the whole family comes together during holidays in Tokyo. It was like his childhood day, although it’s still unsure for this raven-head if they’re simply doing it for his sake or his mother’s sake. He comes across a mirror and sees his bed head hair and remembers how it came to be that style.

He couldn’t get rid of it, maybe it’s a reminder of the rift between his parents. Kuroo’s memories of those nights where they would fight are already just blurry visions of the past but that doesn’t mean it didn’t happen. Kuroo sighs upon remembering his mother leaving them because it would be ‘good for Tetsurou,’ when it wasn’t good for his mother after all.

He still wonders why his parents haven’t filed anything yet, so he just assumes that it could be because they still long for each other, certain from the vibe they give off when they’re in the same room. All 17-year-old Kuroo could do at that time was hope for them to be a family again.

“Hey, mom… You miss dad, right?” Kuroo asks, his mom simply sighs. “Yes. Every day,”

“Then why don’t you guys move in under one roof, like before,” Kuroo suggests. “We’re still discussing that,” she answers while scanning the shelves.

“You know it would be awesome if you guys talk it out… in person,” Kuroo replies and mumbles at the end of his sentence.

“Tetsu, you don’t have to worry about that. We’re still waiting for the right time, it will come soon,”

_“Please, wait for me,”_

His mom suddenly gasps, alarming the third-year and snapping him out of his headspace. He sees his mom take something at the very back of the shelf as she examines it. “Why is there a limited edition here? I thought this sold out a week ago,” she wonders.

“What’s that?” Kuroo asks, leaning closer to see the limited edition spice his mother wanted to buy not too long ago.

“We can finally make that recipe we found on the cooking channel, well isn’t this a lucky day!” She exclaims as she puts the spice in their cart. ‘Wait, did she just say _lucky_?’ Kuroo thought... subconsciously looking around them.

‘What if…’

“Hey mom, I’m going to check something, I’ll be right back,”

“Sure,”

Kuroo checks sideways in search of a certain pudding head as he exits the aisle. There are only a few people at the store right now so it would be easy for him to find the one he’s looking for. He enters the next aisle to see that there’s no one but he’s not giving up yet.

He jogs to the other aisle, to see no one and then the next one. He checks every aisle near them until he’s left to check the last one. ‘Pies’ the sign says on that section as he paused to read. ‘Why didn’t I think of that in the first place?’ the raven head thought.

Kuroo continues walking on his way to that aisle and finally sees a very familiar semi-blonde who’s wearing his indoor attire with earbuds on both of his ears. His chest somehow throbbed and he didn’t realize just the sight of him made him smile. ‘I knew it,’

Kenma was checking every apple pie on the shelf while scanning through his phone, and not only that, he’s completely unaware of what’s happening around him as this certain raven-head sneaks up behind him.

“Ke _n_ ma!” Kuroo basically sprinted through the aisle and put his arm around the poor _very_ startled semi-blonde. Kenma yelps, dropping his phone from the sudden contact which pulled the earphones along with his head downwards. (Must be painful)

But don’t worry! Kuroo catches it before it could hit the floor, his fast reflex doesn’t change the fact that he just scared the shit out of this second-year, probably hurting his ears in the process. Kenma grimaces, massaging his ears to ease the pain, making Kuroo feel a little guilty.

“Oh no, I’m so sorry,” Kuroo apologizes as he tries to check the damage he just caused by gently pulling Kenma’s small hand from his ear to check if there are any cuts or blood. To his relief, there was none, he sighs in relief.

“It’s just you,” Kenma exhales a deep breath in relief also before taking the phone from Kuroo and shoves it in his pocket. He turns to Kuroo and scowls at him. “Uh, hi?” Kuroo waves with a cheeky smile but Kenma didn’t change his facial expression.

“What are you doing here?” The semi-blonde asks in a monotone, his face never changing expression. Kuroo titters, glancing everywhere. “Grocery shopping,” He answers, to which Kenma immediately checks behind him for a shopping cart or a basket to see that there’s none and faces him again. “Liar,”

“No, really! Actually, I’m with my mom,” He mentions, pointing his thumb towards the direction of the other aisles. Kenma’s expression shifted immediately to a neutral one after sighing, probably a little tired of putting that expression on. “Alright, how’d you know I’m here?” Kenma asks.

“Your lucky aura,” Kuroo answers with a smirk, the answer taking the semi-blonde by surprise. “Really?” Kuroo nods, “It’s a lucky day, so I couldn’t help but think of you, Oh Wishing Star,” Kenma shoots him a glare but Kuroo simply grins cheekily in response, unfazed by the younger one’s reaction.

“What about you?” The raven head asks as his eyes linger towards the content of this semi-blonde’s shopping cart. It’s filled with snacks and a few apple pies of different brands. He could’ve used a basket, Kuroo thought.

“Dinner,” Kenma answers and puts another apple pie in his cart.

“That’s dinner?” Kuroo asks, pointing at the almost empty cart. “Yes,” Kenma answers before pushing the cart towards the next shelf, Kuroo follows. “I’m surprised your parents let you eat pie for dinner,” Kuroo comments.

“My parents aren’t home right now,”

Kuroo stopped in his tracks, “Wait, so you’re home alone?” Kenma nods. “Until when?” Kuroo adds.

“A week, they left 3 days ago,” Kenma replies, stopping in front of a shelf. “But it’s alright, at least I got my games back, and I’m _used to it_ ,” He adds with his sights locked on the contents of the shelf.

Somehow, Kuroo doesn’t like that idea at all. Just a while ago, he was imagining himself eating dinner with his own family at the table and how it’s going to be possible sometime soon, but hearing what Kenma just said, he couldn’t imagine the feeling of eating at the table alone, with only bought goods from the store as his meal. He scratches the back of his neck as he thought about how unhealthy that is too.

“You’ve been alone before?” Kuroo asks, to make sure. Kenma pauses for a while as he thinks about his next answer. He faces Kuroo, “Well, yeah. It’s a little sad, actually. We moved so that they won’t go on trips anymore and yet here we are,” The semi-blonde shrugs, before pushing his cart, Kuroo still follows as he keeps glancing at Kenma’s ‘dinner’.

“Have you been eating properly since they left?” He asks.

Kenma pauses to think about an answer once again. He raises his hand, probably counting the times he ate something other than snacks. “I haven’t since the rice cooker broke,”

“When is that?”

“2 days ago,”

Kuroo pinches the bridge of his nose upon hearing this answer. “Are you serious?” Kenma nods in response. “Are there any pots you can cook rice with? I’m pretty sure there is” He asks, and the younger one simply looks his way without moving his head. He didn’t respond this time. The answer is pretty obvious due to Kenma’s fidgeting stance.

“Kenma,” Kuroo calls, “What?”

“You can’t just do this to your body, you need to eat a proper meal. Meals with rice!” Kuroo sighs. “I am, I cook rice too… sometimes,” Kenma answers, slowly turning into a mutter.

“Oh yeah? When was the last time you cooked rice in a pot?” Kenma side glances once again, not responding. “You little… Kenma, apple pie isn’t going to give you the nutrients rice does,”

“Yeah it does, why are you concerned about me not eating rice?” Kenma raises his eyebrows.

“Because!” Kuroo pauses briefly, the image of him eating a meal with his mom in their house while Kenma is sitting alone eating pie comes to his mind.

“I don’t know, I feel bad,” Kuroo finishes, crossing his arms, getting shy all of a sudden because he just realized how he’s making this a big deal to himself.

“At least I get to eat,” Kenma answers, now heading towards the cashier. Of course, since Kuroo has always been kind, he wouldn’t just let him go alone. It must’ve been hard for Kenma to be alone for 3 days, or maybe this is just Kuroo’s feelings talking.

This raven-head isn’t used to eating alone, that’s for sure or it could be that he already forgot the feeling of being alone. He could just let Kenma be since he claimed he’s used to it. But why? Why is Kuroo’s chest clenching at the thought of him sitting alone at the table?

Like he doesn’t want him to be alone in the first place.

“Hey, what’s your address by the way?” Kuroo asks. Kenma stops in his tracks looking at Kuroo skeptically. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to break in and steal your games,” Kuroo jokes.

The semi-blonde simply shrugs before pulling his phone out, checking on something before looking at Kuroo. “XXXXX, it’s just a few blocks away from the waiting shed,” He answers and Kuroo’s face lights up.

“I didn’t know we actually live really close,” Kuroo mentions. “Is that so?” Kenma cocks his head to the side.

“Yeah! That’s why you should join us for dinner, I’m cooking curry for tonight,” Kuroo offers, leaning a little closer, still thinking about Kenma’s possible neck pain for always looking up to meet his eye.

Kenma froze, his gaze shifting elsewhere, unsure what to say considering this is probably the first time he was asked to eat dinner at a different house but Kuroo doesn’t know that. The semi-blonde turns his head sideward, his gaze shifting from the contents of his cart to Kuroo’s grin.

“Curry?” Kenma wanted to make sure he heard that right. “Yeah, curry,” Kuroo confirms. Kenma’s expression shifts into something familiar like whenever someone is fantasizing. Kuroo scoffs in amusement upon seeing this expression of his but Kenma suddenly realizes something, putting his hands up.

“I don’t want to trouble you. Your parents might not like it and besides, I-,” Kenma pauses to check if the raven-head still has gazes locked on him, seeing that he does. “It’s a little embarrassing,” Kenma finishes, scratching his cheek.

“Think about it this way, it would be better than eating pie alone tonight. It’s alright, my mom won’t mind. Plus, you can just walk home since we're basically neighbors,” Kuroo suggests. And there was silence, Kenma was still considering what his answer was going to be.

Somewhere deep inside Kuroo, he hopes he’ll accept the offer, because why not? It would be cool to get to know Kenma better, right? Also, Kenma would finally get to eat a proper meal. Maybe Kuroo’s thinking about that, this second-year’s well-being. Well, he does look after his kouhais in his team as well, but not to an extent that he’d invite them to eat dinner with them.

Kuroo is simply being a kind person, that’s all. Isn’t that right, Tetsu-kun?

“Tetsurou! I got everything we need,” Kuroo’s mom calls, making Kenma flinch a bit. Kuroo didn’t notice how his demeanor suddenly softens ten times more than he usually is, but Kenma did.

“Mom! This is my friend from Fukurodani, Kozume Kenma,” Kuroo introduces, patting Kenma’s shoulder as soon as his mom walked towards them.

“Oh hello! I’m Tetsurou’s mom, nice to meet you,” His mother waves, and Kenma politely waves back shyly.

“Mom, is it alright if I invite him to join us for dinner?” Kuroo asks. Kenma was about to say something but was interrupted by Kuroo’s mother. “Yes! He can join us. Tetsu-kun’s cooking is really good, it would be bad if you miss tonight’s dinner. He’s cooking curry since he’s such a grandma’s boy” His mom nudges her son’s side as she smirks.

“Mom…” The raven-head slightly whines, expressing his bashful side. Kenma bows a little, enough for his hair to cover what his face is making at the moment but Kuroo can see that Kenma’s shoulders are trembling a little. ‘Is he laughing?’

“I’ll just head to the cashier, Tetsu. It was nice to meet you Kozume-kun, I’ll be looking forward to seeing you at dinner,” His mom smiles before pushing the cart away from them. Kenma lifts his head a little more and the raven head notices the pink tints on his cheeks.

“My mom teases me like that too,” Kenma replies, his lips suppressing a teasing smile.

“I bet she calls you ‘mama’s boy’ or ‘kyanma-chan’,” Kuroo teases, the pink tints on his cheeks growing redder each second. He looks away.

“My grandma calls me ‘kyanma’,” Kenma replies quietly, scratching his cheeks.

“EH? I guessed your nickname?!” Kuroo exclaims.

“I think you did,” Kenma replies, now pushing his cart on the way to the cashier while Kuroo follows.

“So, do you want to join dinner with the Kuroos?” Kenma shrugs, “I don’t know what to do about these,” Kenma mutters, gesturing towards his snacks. It wasn’t a yes, but he is so sure… so sure that Kenma will be joining them. Maybe it’s because of Kenma’s half-smile that time but afterward, he gave Kuroo his answer and told him that he’ll head to Kuroo’s residence after taking his snacks back to his own home.

At that moment, Kuroo never felt so excited for dinner that after rushing home, he immediately started to fix everything to make sure the house looked presentable for their guest.

*** 

Kenma looks at the two-story house in front of him while he scratches his arms, a little flustered at the fact that he’s going to eat dinner in a different house since a third-year senior from another school feels bad about him eating only apple pie as meals.

Apple pies aren’t bad, but for almost 2 days it’s starting to get a little too unhealthy, that’s why he went to the store to buy food other than pies. He never expected Kuroo to be there though. The semi-blonde was just simply standing there, fantasizing about the curry his grandmother used to cook but this idiot just had to appear out of nowhere and ruin it.

But it wasn’t all bad though, since he’s in front of their house right now, about to eat _curry_ with the same idiot. Who would’ve thought that he’d be joining dinner with this idiot who he had only met weeks ago? Kenma stands there, recalling the day they met, the arcade, the practice match, and the sudden invitation from the raven-head to join him and his mom for dinner back at the store.

‘This idiot,’ Kenma furrows his brows at the thought of how his timing was way too perfect. Like it was pre-planned or something.

Kenma shakes his head to fend off those thoughts and focuses on the fact that he’s about to eat dinner in a different place. ‘Remember your manners. Be polite and respectful… you’re going to eat curry,” Kenma chants in his head before he walks up to the front door to knock.

Before his hand came in contact with the door, the door opened suddenly, revealing Kuroo in his ‘fresh out of the bath’ state. He’s wearing pajamas now, ‘Wait a minute… Did I come in too late?’ Kenma cringes a bit.

“Kenma! You’re here! Come inside,” Kuroo greets, opening the door wide open to reveal the interior of their home. “S-sorry for the intrusion,” Kenma stammers a little bit. Kuroo chuckles lightly, “Don’t worry, mom’s really excited to meet you,” Kuroo replies with a smile. Not one of those smirks that gets pretty annoying, it’s pretty weird for Kenma to see this side of Kuroo.

“Thank you for the invite, by the way,” Kenma nods, bowing a little bit. “There’s no need to be extra formal, make yourself at home,” Kuroo chuckles once again, but this time, it’s the softer kind. He feels a tingling sensation in his stomach, ‘This again?’

Maybe he’s just excited to eat curry, Kenma concludes almost immediately.

“I’m still cooking dinner, mom is at the kitchen,” Kuroo mentions, as he leads Kenma to the way of their dining area that’s connected to their kitchen, seeing Kuroo’s mom at the table with her laptop open.

“Oh! Kozume-kun! Welcome to our home!” She made her way from the table and proceeded to hug the second-year as a greeting. “Make yourself at home, ok? If there’s anything you need, just ask Tetsurou here,” His mom says before she lets go.

Kenma fidgets a bit, not really sure what to say but gives her a tentative smile instead, “Um, sure, Kuroo-san,” He answers, dawning on him that he’d have to be more specific on which Kuroo he’s going to mention some time later. “I’ll be at my office, I’ll be down here for a second,” She hums, walking on her way upstairs to the said room with her laptop in her hand, leaving the two on their own at the kitchen area.

“My mom usually has Bokuto as our guest for dinner, but it’s rare for him to come by here in this neighborhood. That’s why she’s excited because it’s been so long since I invited someone for dinner,” Kuro-, Tetsurou said as he puts his apron on.

Kenma takes a seat at the counter chair, near Tetsurou’s cooking area. The semi-blonde looks around a bit, noticing the interior is somewhat familiar, maybe since their kitchen has the same design. He just hums, taking in the warm familiar environment, not really needing to adjust since he’ll just be eating dinner like he was at home.

“What about your other friends?” Kenma asks, his tone a little bit off since he’s a little preoccupied at what his eyes just caught, (Hint: the picture frame of small Tetsu on the wall near the dining area)

“Ah, Kenma, you’re making it sound like I don’t have friends,” Kenma flinches, realizing what his preoccupied mind just did.

“I didn’t mean it that way, I was just…”

“It’s alright, of course, there's Yakkun and Kai coming over to study, a few friends from cram school come over, and of course Bokuto, my mom’s favorite guest,” Tetsurou says, already starting with the first steps in cooking the curry.

“Is that so?” Kenma slowly nods in response. “Maybe she has a new favorite now,” Tetsurou mentions, looking back at Kenma, who raises an eyebrow at him.

“Who? Me? Was the hug a sign?” Kenma asks, pointing a finger towards himself.

“Yes, actually,” Tetsurou replies, the whole room was filled with the sizzles of the meat being cooked. “She hugs Bokuto too?” Kenma asks as he leans forward to see the meat being deliciously cooked.

“No, Bokuto hugs her. Mom doesn’t mind at all. We’re like brothers under this roof, coz, you know… same brain cells,” Tetsurou replies, taking notice of Kenma’s close contact with the stove. “If you lean closer, you’ll burn your hair,” he warns, so Kenma stands up and walks to the third-year’s side to continue watching the meat.

“That’s cool,” Kenma starts.

“What’s cool?”

“You hug your mom,” Kenma replies with a hint of teasing manner there. “You don’t?”

“ _She_ hugs _me_ , there’s a difference,” Kenma corrects. “Ok, mama’s boy,” Tetsurou chuckles a little bit, rolling his eyes, jokingly.

Kenma’s eyebrow twitches at the comment as he suddenly had the urge to punch this guy. The semi-blonde did his best to just simply smack his arm. (Again, somewhat of a cat’s slap)

“Grandma’s Boy,” he mutters back.

Somehow, he felt a weird energy radiate off this taller guy and his reply proved him correct. “Do it again!” Tetsurou says, a little enthusiastic for Kenma’s comfort, making the semi-blonde back an inch away.

“Hit you?” Kenma asks, his balled fist still ready for more. “No, I meant that out-going personality you’re hiding behind that icy, neutral exterior of yours, you think I don’t see through you, Kyan-chan?” Tetsurou gives him that annoying smirk again as he chuckles in between his sentences. Kenma’s eyes widened upon hearing the nickname and his cheeks suddenly got a little warmer. ‘How the hell did he remember that?’

“Don’t call me that,” Kenma narrows his eyes at him, in an attempt to look tough but it was rather ineffective to this troublesome third-year. “Kyan-Kyan?” Tetsurou leans closer in a teasing manner.

“Stop,” Kenma crosses his arms as he cringes a little bit, being reminded of what his grandparents used to call him, and also a bit flustered at the fact that Tetsurou figured out exactly what his nickname in his childhood days was. ‘How embarrassing,’

“You’re whining like a kitten,” Tetsurou points out, grinning at the smaller one who’s radiating cat energy.

“You’re being an idiot,” Kenma looks away, avoiding his gaze.

“Kyanma, it really suits you. The name, I mean,” Tetsurou mentions as he taps on his chin. “It’s like ‘Kenma’ and ‘Nyan’ mixed together. I actually thought of that at the last second but I never expected to get it right,” Tetsu chuckles once again.

Kenma attempts to grumble, but it sounded more like a purr than a signal to make Tetsurou stop talking about the nickname. Like, enough dude, it’s embarrassing.

“Don’t make me punch you again,” Kenma threatens, balling his fist, again, in an attempt to make himself look tough. “That was a punch? I didn’t feel a thing,” Tetsu teases, lifting his chin high, now making it impossible for Kenma to make himself look threatening.

Kenma briefly remembers the food and turns in its direction and he deadpans…

“You’re burning the curry,” Tetsu’s eyes widened in horror.

“Shit!” This immediately destroyed the taller one’s ego, seeing as it crumbled for an idiotic reason was certainly satisfying to watch, Kenma thought. He couldn’t help but snicker a little after Tetsu realizes the meat is, indeed, not burned. Tetsu squints his eyes at Kenma as he lowers the temperature of the stove before coming at the semi-blonde.

“Aren’t you a little shi-, OW,” Only to be met by another smack, no… a punch to his shoulder. But this time, it’s a little stronger. Tetsurou certainly didn’t see it coming.

“Aw, what? Still didn’t feel a thing? Want me to do it again?” Kenma mockingly tilts his head, but Tetsu raises his hands in defense, chuckling nervously.

“Ok! Ok! You’re actually ridiculously strong,” Tetsurou leans away. “Is there any more secret skills you’re keeping, aside from your gaming sense and strong punches, Kozume Kenma?” he adds, jokingly.

“My freaking lucky aura just saved your lucky ass, you ass. You’re lucky I’m smaller than you,” Kenma sassed.

At that moment, there was a small pause, with just Tetsu’s eyes widening at the younger one’s sudden confidence. Kenma sees how the raven head’s expression slowly shifts into something Kenma hasn't seen before.

_Like the summer sun, slowly sinking before the night comes, the light in his eyes shines brighter every second before he flutters his eyes close to hide it away. Tetsurou smiles, and then…_

Tetsurou simply laughs lightly. Not in a teasing manner, or in a joking way. He just… giggles.

Suddenly changing the atmosphere between them…

“What?”

“Nothing, it’s just refreshing seeing this side of you again since you always keep your emotions to yourself, keeping your head down and speaking in a monotonous manner,” Tetsurou points out, now his focus turning back to his cooking, the banter finally dying down.

“Because it’s tiring to be a little expressive around people,” Kenma replies, as he continues to watch Tetsu cook. “You expressed embarrassment a while ago, I didn’t see you catch your breath or something,” And Tetsu earns another smack, but it’s just the right amount of force to shut him up. “Ok, ok, sorry,”

“It’s just… I don’t wanna deal with people but it’s a little concerning what they think of me whenever I do something,” Kenma finally finishes as there was a small pause between them, only the sound of the sizzling food fills the silence. “Maybe because they’re so used to seeing me in the corner that whenever I do something different… they’ve got a lot to say,” He adds, the long pause getting to him somehow.

Tetsurou hums a bit, side glancing at Kenma for a moment before returning his gaze to his cooking.

“You wanna know what I thought of you?” Tetsu finally speaks, not looking at the semi-blonde’s direction.

“Do… do I need to?” Kenma asks but is immediately interrupted by Tetsu’s answer.

“I think you have the potential to do some great stuff someday and you're really considerate and smart and I think you’re awesome, you just need the right motivation to unleash your true power,” Tetsu, still not meeting Kenma’s gaze, says.

“You’re really interesting, not because you’re the Star, but because you’re just you. Maybe knowing that you’re the star is just a bonus or something… either way, I’d still want to see you do some great stuff, you know, and get to know you…”

_“I think I have fallen deeply for you,” Tetsurou says… leaving Kenma speechless._

At that answer, Kenma felt the tingling in his stomach once again, the same familiar feeling of something fluttering inside his body. Tetsu’s words seemed to echo in his mind as the sensation in his body seems to intensify with every thought of Tetsu’s encouragement. What is this feeling? Kenma wonders…

“You don’t think that,” Kenma replies… not really sure if he’s talking about himself being in denial that this guy just… complimented him.

“Why wouldn't I?” Tetsu asks, finally glancing a bit in Kenma’s direction. “Because you only feel bad?” Kenma answers with uncertainty, somehow he doesn’t want to confirm if Tetsu only said that out of guilt or something else…

“No, I don’t feel bad. It’s because it’s true,” He faces Kenma, noticing something clearly different from the usual expression he gives whenever he talks to him…

His cheeks suddenly were filled with warmth, finally feeling his thumping chest that went unnoticed at first. Tetsurou… why is he talking like this? Kenma wasn’t expecting this at all, when will Tetsurou stop being unpredictable? First, their meeting, the arcade, the riverbank, the practice match, at the grocery store!

And Kenma finally remembers, he’s with someone older than him.

_Ah…_

“You sounded like a true senpai there…” He finally answers, the tingling sensation dying down.

“I was?” Tetsurou was a little surprised, evident in the tone of his voice. Kenma nods in response. “Well actually…” Tetsu starts again, a little unsure of what he’ll say next.

“You see, this is gonna sound weird but I like seeing you comfortable around me,” He adds, scratching his cheeks. Kenma’s chest leaped for the last time, he raised an eyebrow.

“When did this start?” Kenma asks. “I guess it was the night at the riverbank, or the practice match,” Tetsurou answers, turning off the stove.

“I still cringe at the thought of that,” Kenma shrinks, thinking about that night.

“Don’t be! it’s cleared now right?” Tetsurou reassures, patting the semi-blonde’s head. ‘He pats my head… just like any senpai would do…’ He thought.

“Yeah,”

~

“This curry… it smells like my grandma’s cooking,” Kenma mentions as he watches Tetsurou finish the curry, putting it on a serving pot.

“Don't all curries smell the same?” Tetsu asks, carefully transferring the soup to the pot. “My grandma’s cooking is different,” Kenma replies, his gaze locked on the curry while he recalls those sweet smells of his grandma’s recipes back when he was still in Miyagi.

Nostalgia fills his mind as he takes in the sweet aroma of Tetsurou’s cooking. ‘I bet this tastes delicious,’ Kenma thought, almost drooling at the thought of himself finally taking a bite until Tetsu snaps him out of his headspace.

“Wanna taste?” The third-year asks, Kenma’s eyes lit up, but immediately reminds himself that he’s not in Miyagi. He composed himself to be more respectful, “Is it ok?” Kenma asks.

“Go ahead,” Tetsurou laughs, taking a spoon and scooping the meat straight from the cooking pot. “Wait, it’s hot,” Tetsurou stops in his tracks while he’s about to give the spoon to Kenma. The semi-blonde pouted a bit when the spoon was pulled back but the raven-head simply did it to blow the steam away. ‘What a thoughtful _senpai_ ,’ Kenma thought, watching Tetsurou blow the heat away, and finally, without warning, he reached the spoonful towards Kenma’s mouth.

Kenma hesitates but still takes it. “Is it good?” Tetsurou asks as he sets the spoon down to begin setting the table.

Nostalgia took over his body once again, the flavor reminding him of his grandma’s dinner at Miyagi. Kenma hums in delight as he chews the meat, savoring the flavor before gulping it down.

“How did you learn to cook it like this?” Kenma asks. “My grandma’s from Miyagi, she grew up cooking this curry and taught me the recipe,” Hearing the word ‘Miyagi’ made Kenma perk up, realizing the recipe came from the same place after all.

“My grandma’s from Miyagi, too,” Kenma mentions, Tetsurou smiles. “Oh sweet, maybe that’s why you recognize the smell,” And he is right, Kenma thinks and smiles at the memory of that place. “Yeah, she always cooks me curry every year I go there,”

“I lived in Miyagi once, but we moved to Osaka when I was 7,” Tetsurou recalls, as he sets up the table while Kenma sits at the counter chair. “Why?”

Tetsurou scratches his chin. In Kenma’s point of view, the raven-head looks like he was holding himself back a little. Kenma just simply locks his gaze towards Tetsurou’s direction, until the raven-head looks back to meet his gaze, his expression slowly softening a bit.

“There was an accident, a fire burned down our house,” Tetsurou said casually while placing the chopsticks and the spoon on each plate.

“Oh… I didn’t mean to bring it up,” Kenma shrinks a bit on his seat, realizing this could also be a painful memory for Tetsurou.

“No, It’s alright, it happened a long time ago. It’s no big deal since I don’t even remember anything from that day,” He replies, also casually. Maybe enough for Kenma to not worry. His shoulders relax at the thought of that.

“My friend…” Kenma starts, earning a hum from Tetsurou who is serving the curry finally. “My friend, Shoyo, and I always hang out every day whenever I go to Miyagi during vacation,” Kenma continues in an attempt to change topics.

“This Shoyo guy must be really a good friend. You always talk about him,” Tetsurou replies, taking off his apron. “Yeah, he is,” Kenma replies, watching the other simply going around the kitchen as he takes off the apron before washing his hands.

“I have good friends back in Miyagi too,” Tetsurou says, wiping his hands with a towel, with an expression as if he’s trying to remember something hard.

“What’re their names? Maybe I’d recognize them,” Kenma asks, his eyes still locked on Tetsu who keeps going back and forth from the dining room to the kitchen as he fixes a few things.

“Oikawa Tooru and Iwaizumi Hajime, do you know them?” Tetsurou asks, Kenma tilts his head, realizing he must’ve heard this name somewhere, and finally recalls it. “Sorry, I don’t… but I do remember Shoyo mentioning a Great King named Oikawa,”

“Does he play volleyball?” Tetsurou asks, his eyes widening upon hearing the name. “Yeah,”

“That must be him!” Tetsurou exclaims, Kenma simply half-smiles with a scoff of amazement, “Small world,”

“It’s pretty awesome don’t you think?”

“Yeah,”

“Tetsu-kun! The curry smells amazing,” Both of their heads turn to the direction of the stairs where Tetsurou’s mom is as she makes her way to the kitchen. After a few minutes, dinner finally started.

The whole duration of the dinner was rather relaxing for Kenma but a bit embarrassing for Tetsu since his mom enjoyed her time embarrassing his son in front of his new friend.

The raven-head would try to redirect the topic to something different whenever his mom would remember something embarrassing about little Tetsu. Kenma would laugh, now and then as he listens to all of them with amusement while giving Tetsu a smug side glance screaming: ‘This is what you get for teasing me for my nickname,’

Tetsu would silently grumble whenever he fails to avoid a story about him falling naked from the stairs or when he thought a dandelion flower was edible and decided to eat it causing him to choke. Kenma was basically having the time of his life, not realizing he’s been laughing a little louder than usual with Tetsu’s mom at the table as they eat curry.

“Oh shush now Tetsu-kun, you don’t act like this when I tell Bokuto-kun about these,” His mom says. “Because! Because…Bokuto! He’s like… my age!” Tetsu stammers, not making sense with his words but at least he got his point across after a few attempts.

Once again, Kenma was reminded that he was with an upperclassman, telling himself to be more respectful again and again. But it didn’t get in the way of him enjoying the night with the company of the Kuroos.

As the dinner progresses, stories are shared between the three people, simply enjoying each other’s company until it’s time for Kenma to go home.

Kenma will certainly remember this night…

*** 

“My Tetsu is such a gentleman,” Tetsurou’s mom teases as she watches Tetsu open the door for Kenma. The raven-head grumbles slightly in embarrassment for the nth time that night. “Mom, I’ll walk Kenma to his house,”

“Alright, you two be careful,” His mom points to the both of them before facing Kenma, “Are you sure you can’t stay over?” Kenma shakes his head politely, “Thank you for the offer, Kuroo-san but my parents told me to watch over our house,” Kenma gives a warm smile before waving goodbye.

“Alright, have a good evening Kozume-kun. It was really great getting to know you,” She smiles. “Thank you for having me over,” Kenma replies before stepping outside the door.

“Tetsu! Take care of Kozume,” His mom waves before Tetsurou closes the door behind them.

His mom sighs left alone in the house and chuckles to herself before heading to the kitchen to fix the dishes.

Tetsurou and Kenma walk side by side on the empty and fairly-lit street. The night was cool and there was silence between them but it didn’t bother the two. The vibe from the dinner is still there, evident to Kenma’s tinted cheeks and twitching lips, subconsciously smiling from the kindness he received that night. As they walk, Kenma speaks.

“Your mom is really sweet,” Tetsurou smiles at the comment, “She’s like that whenever there are guests over,” Kenma hums in response, finally reaching the waiting shed where they usually part.

“So, where do you live?” Tetsurou asks as they walk uphill while he glances around the houses in that neighborhood. Kenma points to a two-story house from a distance, seeing that the porch lights are only open. The semi-blonde looks back at Tetsurou upon arriving, “This is where I live,” he answers.

Tetsurou looks at his house and nods acknowledging it… Both of them stand in front of the Kozume residence while Kenma tries to form words in his mind to finally say goodbye to each other for the night.

“Um…” the semi-blonde starts. “Yeah?”

Kenma looks up to the taller one to meet his eyes and he smiles at the raven-head, “Thank you for inviting me for dinner, the curry was really good,” There was a small pause between them, but the sound of the wind’s soft whistle fills the silence.

Tetsurou smiles back, about to say something but Kenma continued talking, “It’s like I was back in Miyagi with my family, and I enjoyed your mom’s stories, especially the story about you falling face-first on a mud puddle…” Kenma points out.

“You enjoyed that…?” Tetsurou nervously chuckling as he cringes a bit, looking away in embarrassment. “And about the time when your grandfather chased you for taking your grandma’s onigiris and fell down the porch” Kenma couldn’t help but let out a small chuckle at that one, also remembering the raven-head’s reaction at the table.

“Ah…You were really laughing at that one,” The raven head comments, slightly laughing at the end of the sentence.

“Is it really true you broke your arm while saving a cat?” Kenma asks. “I told you once before, I’m a kind person,”

“But your mom said you liked terrorizing frogs in a jar,” The semi-blonde points out, and the raven-head’s eyes widen. “You remember everything she said?”

“Yeah. I really enjoyed tonight,” Kenma replies, calming down a little. Kenma looks back at Tetsurou who also has his gaze on him.

It took time for the both of them to realize that they were staring into each other’s eyes. One lost at the sights of the golden orbs the semi-blonde has and the other… wondering why he is looking at him with that expression again.

The expression makes him feel as if there are butterflies inside his stomach.

“Ah… Now I get it,” Tetsurou says suddenly. Kenma cocks his head to the side with his eyebrow raised.

“Get what?”

“You’re glowing, you know that? When you’re enjoying yourself,”

He did it again… Tetsurou being unpredictable with his words. “I… I am?” the semi-blonde stammers a bit.

Tetsurou nods and then smiles _softly_. “It’s really nice seeing this different side of you Kenma,”

Kenma thinks he’s heard this before from the same person but as he kept recalling his encounters with Tetsu, he can’t find that certain memory anywhere in his mind. It could be gone in his mind by now but Kenma felt so sure that there must be something somewhere.

_If not in his memories… then maybe his feelings?_

“And it was really nice getting to knowing you through your mom’s stories,” Kenma says. “Half of them are not true, mom tends to over exaggerate just to embarrass me,” the taller one sighs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“But it doesn’t change the fact that you’re actually a big softie around her,” Kenma replies, opening their front gate with a slight creak of metal.

“A softie? No, I’m not,” Tetsu squints his eyes at his remark. Kenma takes notice of this sudden change of attitude as Tetsu’s bashful side back in the store comes into his mind, “Yes, you are,” Kenma shots back.

“Am not,”

“Are too,”

“Am not” Tetsurou fwips his head to the side, to avoid Kenma’s slightly smug expression.

“…Are too,”

Kenma definitely remembers feeling a little cocky whenever Tetsurou gets a little embarrassed back when they first met. There used to be a lot of awkward silence between them since they used to be strangers but it’s different now. Kenma never knew it’s actually pretty fun seeing this third-year’s sheepish side.

He realized how both of them interact now, in comparison to before, he could say that they’re getting closer since words exchanged between them are not what Kenma really expects to hear from someone who is a close friend. Well, when he compares how he and Shoyo talk…

Kenma briefly remembers what Tetsu told him about what he thinks of him. Words he never expected to hear came out of the raven head’s mouth without hesitation, without uncertainty… like it’s been rehearsed so many times.

‘Maybe that’s because he’s already told a lot of his kouhais the same thing…’

Well, a true senpai like him encourages their kouhais to be more confident, that must be why he’s so happy about Kenma being a little expressive… because of his encouragement.

_Sigh…_

“Oh, I should head home now, mom’s probably waiting. See you,” Tetsurou checks his time, pointing his thumb towards the direction of their house.

“Yeah, sure thing… see you,” Kenma was about to close the gate behind him when he felt the urge to say something before finally calling it a night. The vibe is still there, and honestly speaking… he doesn’t want the good feeling to end.

“Hey, _Kuro_ ,” The semi-blonde calls… “Yeah?” the raven-head turns around, slowing down a bit.

“It’s really nice seeing a different side of you, too, _grandma’s boy_ ,” Kenma grins teasingly before quickly closing the gates behind him, chuckling to himself as he hears Tetsu faintly snapping back.

Kenma didn’t realize he was still chuckling after he entered the house… feeling a little fulfilled for that day.

‘See? It’s not bad…’ he tells himself after recalling the part where he almost decided not to go.

He sighs contentedly that night as he collapses on his bed. Tetsurou’s kindness came into his mind and smiles a bit. ‘Come to think of it… That must be the tingling feeling… I think I’m just happy,’

It’s unfamiliar because it’s been a while since I really enjoyed eating with someone else… or so Kenma concludes.

~

_Tetsurou stands there, in denial. He watches the moon glow above him and closes his eyes, feeling the summer breeze flow past him. He opened his eyes, a tear slowly rolling down his cheek just because he was oblivious to what his heart was screaming this entire time._

_He laughs to himself, at last, finally realizing that he… indeed has fallen deeply with the man who has many faults in his life…_

_Tetsurou wasn’t looking for perfection…_

_Seeing Kenma being happy was enough._

**_END OF CHAPTER 8_ **

"Um... Kuro-," Kenma pauses, reminding himself to be more specific. "Kuro-san?"

Tetsurou was a little surprised after hearing the nickname. "Kuro?" he chuckles.

"Well, Both of you are Kuroo... san," Tetsu's mom giggles while she drinks from her glass.

"Kuro is just fine," Tetsu smiles. Kenma pauses for a bit before smiling back.

"Ok..."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mEmORieS eVERyWHere! (maybe I should write a sequel prequel about the memories after this book is finished hahaha)  
> SO what do you guys think? I hope you enjoyed it!
> 
> So here in this fic, Udai and Akaashi were close friends back in the US... coz why not(?) :3
> 
> Oooooh, so Kenma got a little OOC because he enjoyed the dinner very much. The next chapter will be a little later than usual since school keeps giving assignments and shit...
> 
> See you in the next chapter guys!


	9. An Effect

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma calls Kuroo his friend and Kuroo seems giddy about it.
> 
> *** 
> 
> Kenma still wonders why Bokuto believes that he already found his soulmate.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So hey guys! I would like to thank Tati_xo again for helping me edit the chapter (You cool af!). I hope you guys like the chapter.
> 
> Trigger warning for this chapter: panic attacks and 'emergency room'. You will come across this particular emoticon (; - ; ) which means you reached the part of the possible triggering scene.

_“Please… wait for me,” His voice was quivering…_

_Fire…._

_There’s fire everywhere._

_Kuroo looks around to see that he’s surrounded by fire._

_And there’s nowhere to go…_

_Kuroo turns in every direction, hearing nothing but white noise. He moves his arms but somehow, it’s heavy. He looks down to see he is holding a katana with bloodstains on it. He lifts it to examine it… it was heavy, shiny… he can see the reflection of himself on the blade. ‘Amazing,’ He thought._

_Kuroo shifts the blade, seeing that he wasn’t alone… somebody is lurking behind him._

_Alarmed, he immediately turned around to see that someone is a man, wearing a yukata… and a mask that resembled a cat. The man is skinny, pale… and his hair is as dark as the night sky._

_“Who are you?” Kuroo calls out, but the man doesn’t answer. Kuroo gulps, uneasy. “Who are you?!” He calls out once again, but the man simply stands there, facing Kuroo’s direction._

_“Who are… you?” His voice tones down, seeing the man shows no sign of hostility whatsoever._

_He’s just standing there… Kuroo looks around once more, to see that fire is still surrounding him. He’s not sure what to do._

_Suddenly, the man starts walking in Kuroo’s direction, at a slow consistent pace. Kuroo takes a step back, reminding himself that there’s the fire behind him, he halts. He turns around abruptly to see that there’s no way out._

_Kuroo once again looks back to the masked man walking towards him and his heart beats fast at the sight, somehow bringing him anxiety. He lifts his sword, but it doesn’t feel heavy anymore. Kuroo looks at his hands to see he was holding nothing. His breathing hitches as he realizes that he has nothing to defend himself with._

_‘But the man isn’t dangerous, is he?’_

_Kuroo didn’t realize he’s already panicking; he looked around to see the fire was closing at a terrifyingly fast pace. The man was still walking towards him, slowly._

_He tries to shout, but no voice comes out of his mouth._

_‘What is this?’ Kuroo questions, clutching his throat, in fear. ‘Don’t come near me!’ He tries to yell…_

_And in an instant, the man is suddenly in front of him, just a few inches away from where he stands… and just like that, the man already has his grip on Kuroo’s hands, pulling him forward._

_Kuroo had his eyes shut but opened them as soon as he felt weightless. The masked man removed his mask and the fire was no longer there… he couldn’t believe what he was seeing._

_“Tetsurou…”_

_He was being pulled out of the fire, into a field of flowers… by Kenma himself. The man was Kenma all along… The uneasy feeling faded, along with the fire that disappeared as soon as Kenma pulled him forward._

_“Kenma?” He finally had his voice back, what happened next was nothing he ever expected as he didn’t have enough time to take in what was happening._

_Their lips crashed onto each other…_

_Kuroo felt as if something sprouted inside him as he let himself go for a moment. He slowly closes his eyes, letting the wonderful feeling growing inside him. All that he could think of at the moment was Kenma’s soft lips on his…_

_A very familiar feeling… then it was suddenly gone._

_Kuroo flutters his eyes open to see himself standing alone in the same field of flowers. He looks around to look for Kenma but sees no one except for a child by his side._

_Confused, he bends down to look at the child’s face._

_“Don’t worry, you’re safe now,” The child spoke, and just like that, the field of flowers slowly disappeared._

Kuroo’s eyes open.

His curtains were drawn, golden sunlight streaming throughout his room. The raven-head rubs his eyes, realizing it was just a dream… a nostalgic one. He sat upon his chair and stretched his arms upwards after a few minutes. His eyes linger on the study table he slept on and realizes that he overdid studying again.

‘Ah… entrance exams,’ He reminds himself as he stands up to stretch his back from that grueling night of studying. He fixes his things before heading to his own bed, sighing in content as he lets his body relax on the soft bed sheets. Kuroo closes his eyes for a moment, his fatigue tempting him to drift back into sleep.

“Tetsu… wake… up,” He groans at himself while slapping his cheeks lightly to wake up fully. “There’s… morning… practi- Oh wait,” He quickly sits up to check his calendar where his weekly schedule is written. He sighs in relief, remembering there’s no morning practice, and finally collapses back on the bed.

“More time to sleep then,” He mumbles before closing his eyes, letting himself drift into sleep as he also remembers that the alarm hasn’t gone off yet. The raven head relaxes more on the sheets… finally getting time to properly sleep on a bed.

_“Tetsurou…”_

His eyes flutter open upon recalling a part of his dream. This again… a dream that causes him to stay awake just to think about it. But it wasn’t just any dream, it’s a dream with Kenma in it. Kuroo sits upon his bed, as his mind lingers to the memory of it.

He remembers the details vividly and how it felt so real, but it took him a moment to remember that Kenma was there… What was he doing there again? Why _was_ he there?

It must be because of dinner that night, Kuroo assumes. Kenma’s spontaneous burst of confidence that night that Kuroo was taken aback from. It was a sight that he has never seen before, a rare occurrence if he says so himself. Kuroo couldn’t help but feel the urge to see it again. Making him feel emotions he couldn’t describe.

He smiles at the thought of him. The night of the dinner was really something Kuroo never expected but was happy it happened. And there goes his fatigue, might as well prepare for school now that he’s awake, he stretches his arms once again before sitting up.

Kuroo walks out of his room, yawning as he looks up at the wall clock in front of him to check the time.

‘7:38, wait…’ His eyes were still adjusting, he squinted his eyes to make sure he saw the time right. The raven-head rubs his eyes, realizing he wasn’t seeing it wrong.

‘Oh, shit…’

“I SLEPT THROUGH THE ALARM!!” His voice rang through the whole house from his outburst and realization. “Tetsu! Stop yelling, it’s early in the morning!” He hears his mom yell from the kitchen.

~

Like a flash, the raven-head sprinted throughout the house, doing his best to be as swift as possible while rushing to prepare for school. ‘This never happened before,’ He groans internally while chugging down his breakfast at a fast pace, almost earning a scolding from his mom in the process.

“Why are you rushing so much? Is there volleyball practice?” His mother asks. “No, mom. I woke up an hour late, I studied the whole night,” Kuroo replies, mouthful. His mother raises an eyebrow, a little confused.

“An hour late? But it’s still-,”

Kuroo’s phone suddenly rings, interrupting his mom’s sentence. He stands up to see that his alarm just went off. The raven-head blinks, seeing the time on his phone. His body visibly relaxes.

At last, the raven-head realizes that he’s actually an hour early. ‘Ah… I haven’t bought batteries to replace the old ones on the clock,’ he thought, scratching the back of his neck. “It’s still 6:50. Eat properly, Tetsu. You still have time to enjoy breakfast,” His mom says, as she takes a cup of rice from the rice cooker and brings it in front of her son. Kuroo’s shoulder slumps, relaxing a bit.

“Ah… yeah, mom. Sorry for the outburst,” the raven-head apologizes, returning to his seat as the adrenaline that was rushing through him calms down.

“You’ve been a little stressed lately, you should at least take your time to relax,” His mom suggests, her son sighs. “But the entrance exam-,”

“Is next year. You still have time to prepare,” His mom interrupts, not moving her gaze from their meal. “Yeah and the tournament is-,”

“This is why you canceled morning practice so you, their captain, will be in great form after a good rest. Don’t beat yourself up too much, Tetsu,” Kuroo finally sighs in defeat.

“I-… sure, mom,” He smiles softly while calmly eating breakfast. “Eat well, Tetsu-kun. You need the energy for today,”

“Thanks, mom,”

The whole duration of breakfast was peaceful, like what the young Kuroo would usually experience in the morning. It’s not like he experiences this rarely, but it’s simply him not really acknowledging the little things when the sun rises. The food, the birds outside their window, the sun peeking through the blinds, and of course the morning ambiance.

Mornings like these can pass by like a wink and this is one of those moments where he gets to take in the moment of the calm before the hectic in Tokyo…

‘Mom did it again,’ Kuroo thinks, realizing she made his favorite meal for breakfast. ‘How thoughtful,’ He smiles before sipping the last drop of soup…

‘I wonder, is Kenma eating breakfast?’

“Is Kozume-kun always alone at their house?” His mother asks suddenly. “I’m not sure,” the raven-head simply answers after finishing his bowl of rice. Once he looks up, he sees his mom wearing a soft look on her face.

“You really like him don’t you, mom?” He says laced with a teasing tone, “I do, what’s not to like about him? He reminds me so much of this young boy back in the countryside,” she replies, putting her bowl of soup down.

“Ah, my mother wants to adopt an underclassman of mine,”

“How did you meet him, Tetsu? He’s from Fukurodani right?” she asks, overlapping Kuroo’s words.

“I met him when Bokuto…” He trails off, briefly recalling a memory of how he met him at the Ramen House. Their eyes locked together and stayed like that for a while. The sight of Kenma’s glistening eyes is enough to send goosebumps all over his arms.

“… When we ate dinner at the Ramen House,” he finishes, standing up to take the dishes to the kitchen sink.

“Is that so?” His mom hums. “Invite him again some time. It’s lonely… being on your own for a week,” She adds.

Alone for a week… Kuroo looks at his mom, recognizing the expression she was wearing just a while ago. She was also alone for how many years before he came back to her life. She knows exactly what it feels like, maybe that’s why she was extra affectionate to the new guest Kuroo invited for dinner.

Kuroo remembers hearing Kenma say he was used to being alone, and the time when he saw him laugh for the first time while having dinner with them. He smirks, as the thought of Kenma being unusually open somehow makes him warm inside.

“I’ll try,” He answers, already imagining the scenario of that certain second-year greeting his mom again, and of course seeing that certain side of his.

~

After finishing breakfast and heading outside to greet the morning air, Kuroo’s mind only consisted of Kenma. Remembering the rare sight of him laughing, smiling, and of course, being a little talkative around people he’d possibly consider as acquaintances. The raven-head couldn’t help but feel like he accomplished something but wasn’t sure what exactly.

Kuroo chuckles and then sighs, reminding himself that his mother made that possible. It seemed so easy for her to get him to open up, well, using embarrassing childhood stories of this raven-head. Kuroo thought to himself, hoping one day he’ll be able to achieve the same thing his mom did.

Get him to hopefully open up… smile around him, laugh with him…

 _“You’re really interesting, not because you’re the Star, but because you’re just you. Maybe knowing that you’re the star is just a bonus or something… either way, I’d still want to see you do some great stuff, you know, get to know you…”_ that memory came flashing in his mind, the embarrassment he felt that night came rushing in, he still couldn’t believe he said those words to Kenma… he wanted to apologize for saying something impulsively at that moment, but it’s something he wanted to tell him… so maybe it’s alright?

He couldn’t understand how the other one was so composed when at that moment, it was like something was threatening to explode inside Kuroo. He was a bit thankful that he got to channel it through his reactions when his mom was telling stories about him. After all, it felt natural.

Kuroo thinks that hopefully, it didn’t turn out to be weird, he runs his hands through his hair as he recalls that part of the night. It took him a whole lot to make sure it didn’t sound strange for the other since that sentence felt a little out of place like something was controlling him when he said those words.

‘But it wasn’t all that bad,’ he reassures himself.

He finally reaches the waiting shed where they usually part and stands there for a moment, seeing that he’s a little later than usual.

Kuroo peeks to the other side, seeing the Kozume residence just a few meters away. ‘I never realized we live so close to each other,’ The raven head thought and checked the time. ‘We always go home together… we could’ve been going to school together, too,’

Kuroo takes in the morning breeze, the wind blows and the sakura petals flutter as the breeze blows by. He checks the time again, telling himself he needs to leave, otherwise, the rush hour will catch up with him but he stops in his tracks when… “Kuro?”

He freezes, not really expecting to hear his voice so early in the morning.

_“Please… wait for me,”_

“Were you waiting for me?” Kuroo flinches slightly before turning around. There he sees Kenma, in his Fukurodani uniform holding a toast and his PSP. He blinks at the view, in awe since it’s his first time seeing Kenma in the morning.

Somehow, the memories of Kenma’s demeanor that night at their place came flooding his mind. Maybe because of how different the semi-blonde seems to be at the moment compared to what he witnessed that night. He sighs a bit in disappointment, realizing that Kenma’s side of that night is indeed a rare occurrence.

He was lucky to have seen it... at least.

“I… think so? I mean, yeah!” Kuroo answers, clutching his sling bag, smiling at him.

Kenma blinks a few times before finally giving him a small hardly noticeable smile. “Ok,” the semi-blonde simply replies before walking to his side and then continues heading towards the station.

As they walk, there’s silence between them. Kuroo would now and then steal glances at Kenma who had toast in his mouth while he focused on his games. Kuroo switches sides with Kenma and the younger one didn’t even notice it as he continues to tap a little aggressively on his games.

‘This way he won’t get into an accident,’ the older one thinks, noticing a speeding motorcycle passing by them.

Kuroo simply waits for him, watching Kenma play until he finally defeats the opponent, humming contentedly as the victory music plays.

“How come we never did this before?” Kuroo started, after finding the right time to speak. “Did what?” Kenma asks, lowering his PSP, looking up in his direction slightly.

“Go to school together,” Kenma shifts his gaze elsewhere, thinking. “Um… this is the first time I left the house early” He answers, looking at Kuroo who nods slowly in response.

“Maybe that’s why we don’t come across in the morning often,”

“Maybe,” The semi-blonde hums, now taking his phone from his pocket as he puts his PSP in his bag. “Bokuto-san said we should hang out today,” Kenma mentions.

“Where?” Kuroo sighs a little bit, anticipating the part where Bokuto probably didn’t pick a place again.

“He said it’s up to you to decide,” Kenma replies. Kuroo hums a bit, thinking of a place to go, “Where do you wanna go?” the raven-head asks.

“Arca-,” Kenma answers immediately but is interrupted by Kuroo. “Other than the arcade,”

“You don’t like games?” Kenma asks with his tone laced with disappointment, visibly pouting at the third-year’s response.

“I do, but let’s go somewhere we can relax and not run into trouble,” Kuroo suggested, remembering the last encounter. Kenma nods slowly, tapping on his chin.

“You?” the semi-blonde answers, breaking the silence.

“Huh?”

“Where do _you_ wanna go?” Kenma asks, facing him.

“I never really thought of where I wanted to go,” Kuroo scratched the back of his head, looking up at the morning sky. “Start thinking about it,” Kenma answers in a flat tone, taking the last bite of his toast.

“It’s kinda pressuring when you say it that way,” Kuroo faces Kenma to see that he’s still chewing on his bread. “But when the time finally comes to make a decision, at least you’ll be ready,”

Kuroo hums in response, finally arriving at the station. “What about you? Do you ever think about where you want to go, Kenma?”

The semi-blonde taps on his phone as he replies, “I think about the store with the new release of the game I always wanted,” He earns a sigh from the third-year. “What about things other than games and pies?”

Kenma thinks long and hard, looking at a far distance, staring at nothing. His mind racing evident through his furrowing brows and humming noises. ‘He’s probably not gonna answer,’

“I think about Miyagi… and Shoyo,” the younger one replies, catching Kuroo off-guard a bit. “Other than Shoyo, is there any more?” The raven-head asks, now with an eyebrow raised. Kenma returns his gaze in front of him.

“I think about…” He begins humming. Kenma stops as soon as he feels the other one staring at him, making him a little self-conscious. “Stop looking at me like that,” The semi-blonde deadpans, shooting Kuroo a glare.

“See? It’s pressuring,” Kuroo chuckles in between his words after seeing Kenma’s expression. “But I don’t look at you like that,” the semi-blonde replies.

“Like what?” The raven-head cocks his head.

Kenma raises his hands, pointing towards the taller one’s face, “Like… that,”

“What? This is my normal face,” Kuroo replies, his hand gesturing all over his face. Kenma shakes his head. “No, it’s not,”

“How’s my normal face then?”

Kenma studies Kuroo’s face, squinting his eyes at him, until he finds the words he’s looking for, “Like you’re about to steal my money or something, with that scheming look of yours,”

“What!?” The third-year exclaims, earning a few side glances from passersby. Kuroo cringes, toning it down.

“I thought you knew,” Kenma answers, entering the train and Kuroo follows, squeezing through the crowd until they find a perfect spot.

“I didn’t know you like looking at my face so much you can recognize what kind of face I’m wearing,” Kuroo leans forward to meet the smaller one’s eye level, flashing him his signature smirk. “So you agree that you look like you’re gonna steal my money?” Kenma says, raising an eyebrow.

“What? No! Is that how you see me? Where did that idea even come from?” Kuroo frowns a bit. It felt like lightning struck him.

“Akaashi,” Kenma answers. Kuroo scrunches his nose a little, recalling something from their walk on the way home. (“I only have enough to go home, Kuroo-san. Just ask if you need money,” Akaashi tells Kuroo who was only looking at him because his gaze happened to land on him at the worst timing. “What?”)

“That ba-…” Kuroo takes a deep breath to calm down a bit. Akaashi’s voice came through his mind saying the same words and grumbled a bit, before looking at Kenma who was looking at him innocently.

“If you’re wondering, I never stole Akaashi’s money,” Kuroo says, in defense. Kenma just simply shrugs in response, turning his attention back to his phone.

“Don’t worry, I don’t think your normal face looks like that,” Kenma reassures, making the raven-head more curious than ever.

“Details, please,” Kenma pauses, not really sure what to answer.

“… I think it’s… soft?” Kenma explains scratching his cheeks. “And you’re pressuring me with… a softer one?” The semi-blonde’s sentence came out like a question, not really sure if he’s getting the description right. Kuroo blinks, not expecting the answer…

_“You’re like ice… you melt whenever your cheeks turn red,” Tetsurou simply just smiles at his comment… “It’s all because of you,” this time he doesn’t deny it._

_“Well… I’m glad I can make you like that,”_

_“I’m glad that it’s only you, who can make me like this,”_

“Admit it, you like looking at my face,” Kuroo smirks at Kenma who responds with a grimace.

“I wouldn’t dream of it,” Kenma rolls his eyes at him. “Yes, you do,”

“No… I don’t, why would I want to look at your face?” Kenma faces Kuroo who is still giving him a smug look.

“…”

“…”

“Coz I’m irresistible,” The raven-head replies, breaking the pause in which Kenma quickly replies to. “No, you’re not,” He looks away, locking his gaze on his phone. Kuroo merely laughs, looking at Kenma who already has a straight-face. ‘He’s probably tired of putting on that expression,’ he thinks.

‘Kenma’s behavior that night was indeed a rare sight,’

But as he watches Kenma, his own mouth twitches, not really realizing the fact that he’s already wearing a smile on his face.

“As for me, it’s fun looking at yours,” The raven-head mentions.

“What does that mean?” Kenma asks, facing him.

“Your smile…” Kuroo trails off a bit “I mean! The dinner… your face,” Kuroo stammers, the semi-blonde raises an eyebrow.

“Who knows what kind of expression you’re going to wear next, it’s unpredictable,” Kuroo finishes, scratching his cheeks. Kenma shrugs before returning his gaze to his phone. “You’re unpredictable,” Kenma points out.

“The dinner really brought out an unexpected side of you, maybe I should invite you for dinner to see it again,” Kuroo says, but Kenma didn’t reply after that. “Too weird?” Kuroo asks, Kenma shakes his head in response.

“Don’t get me wrong… I really enjoyed the dinner. I was just happy, that’s all,”

“I’m glad you are,” Kuroo replies. “And don’t worry, you’re probably gonna see it again… you don’t need to invite me or anything,” Kuroo pauses.

“Oh?”

“I mean, we always go home together, we’re neighbors… we’re friends right?” Kenma finishes, his gaze locked on his phone. Kuroo hums in response.

“Right… friends,”

*** 

“You look gross,” Yaku grimaces at his friend who seems to be glowing. Kuroo raises an eyebrow at his friend, slamming his hand lightly on the table.

“The hell? I showered, for your information,” He shots back and Yaku shakes his head in response.

“I meant the face you’re making, you’re smiling and looking gross all over,” Yaku clarifies, leaning forward to Kuroo’s desk to whisper. “You answered a confession?”

“No…? I told you I’m not accepting confessions,” Kuroo reminds him while he fixes his books, scowling at that statement.

“Why do you look like you’re stuck in cloud nine or something?” Yaku asks once again, pointing to the face he’s making.

“Stuck in… what?” Kuroo questions, confused at what his friend just said, even checking his face on his phone. “You’re smiling,” Yaku points out. “What’s with that? I smile all the time,”

“Yeah, but not when you’re preoccupied or something,” Yaku replies, “If you’re not smiling, you’d sigh…”

“You never sigh, Kuroo” He squints his eyes at the raven-head who simply furrows his brows in thought, trying to recall if he ever did that while he’s preoccupied.

“You’ve been like that ever since the practice match …Oh!” Yaku beams suddenly when a certain memory crosses his mind, leaning more towards Kuroo who leans a few inches back. Yaku studies Kuroo’s reaction as he adds.

“It’s about Kozume! Isn’t it?”

The raven-head’s eyes widen upon hearing his name, choking on his own spit. He feels his cheeks warm as the image of Kenma’s smile comes back in flashes, overwhelming his mind but he manages to push it immediately to the back of his mind by shaking his head. ‘Is it really that obvious?’

‘I wasn’t even thinking about him,’ he thought to himself… ‘Or was I?’

“Eh?! No, it’s not!” He exclaims, not really certain if he was talking to himself or replying to Yaku at this point. Yaku laughs at his friend’s reaction.

“For one whole night, you were like, ‘Neko-chan’ here, ‘Neko-chan’ there like a teenage girl. I know Neko-chan is Kozume, Kuroo, you can’t deny it,” Yaku crosses his arms, looking over at Kuroo who’s trying to keep himself composed. His sheepish reaction evident through his twitching brows and reddening cheeks.

‘Was it really about him?’ Kuroo thought. Sure, he had Kenma on his mind this morning and unexpectedly walked to the station with him. It’s not like it means anything, Kuroo thought so. But why…

‘Calm down, Tetsu. He’s your _friend_ … that’s why,’ He didn’t realize his mouth twitches at the thought.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” the raven-head crosses his arms as well, turning his face away. Yaku smiles smugly, leaning back to his seat with an amused scoff. ‘This boy is not going to stop,’ Kuroo predicts.

“I get it, Kozume-kun is such an interesting person yo-,” It was Kuroo’s turn to lean forward, interrupting Yaku’s sentence, smirking at him.

“What about you and that first-year? Hmm? I always see you two getting comfortable in the club room,” the raven-head says, almost loud enough for the whole class to hear. “Ha!? Stop avoiding that topic-,”

“Not to mention, one of us probably isn’t single now,” Kuroo scoffs, shooting Yaku a mischievous smirk. At this moment, it was the smaller one’s turn to fidget. “Me and Lev? Are you serious?” Yaku answers, crossing his arms as he grimaces at that idea, but the reply merely made Kuroo more amused than he is now.

“Oho! Lev isn’t the only first-year in our club, Yakkun,” Kuroo laughs, pointing at his friend’s face. “Wha-,” Yaku leans back, rapidly blinking.

“But you two are getting closer right?” Kuroo points at Yaku’s reddening cheeks. “SHUSH!” Yaku smacks his hand away, earning an amused snicker from the raven-head.

“You guys are dating or what?”

“It’s not even close to that…” it was Yaku’s turn to turn his gaze away. “But you want to, am I right?”

“Kuroo, shut up,”

“It’s hard to believe that this devil senpai can fall in lov-, ACK!” And finally, the two friend’s conversation ended after almost earning a bruise on the raven-head’s side as the bell rang. With Yaku finally pointing it out, Kuroo couldn’t help but think about the effect of Kenma being in his thoughts.

It’s not really a new feeling, he reminds himself. After all, he did feel a little like this when he saw a different side of his old friend. Seeing something new from what used to be a stranger…

_What’s odd is that the feeling is too familiar… to the point that something felt out of place. Since it's too perfect..._

But Kuroo doesn’t know that.

*** 

“Alright, everybody, clean up first before heading home!” Coach Naoi orders, clapping his hands loudly. “Yes sir!” the whole team yells in response and so the after-club period routine starts.

“Kuroo, you’re in charge of closing the gym,” Coach Nekomata reminds the third-year captain before both coaches exit the building.

“Sure thing coach,” Kuroo replies.

As the afternoon continues, Kuroo finishes writing on his logbook and of course a few of his responsibilities as the captain. The day felt like it went by fast but Kuroo didn’t mind, since after this he’d get to finally hang out with his friends, _relax,_ and of course, relieve some stress while he’s at it.

He sees Akaashi on his phone, Kuroo walks up to him and the second year acknowledges his presence before returning his gaze on his phone.

“Hey Akaashi, you got Bokuto’s message right? We’re hanging out after club,” Kuroo reminds Akaashi who is currently tapping on his phone.

“Yeah, Kenma just told me they’re gonna be a little late since their club is still having a meeting,”

Kuroo blinks at what he just heard. He and Kenma? Having a conversation on the phone? Kuroo thought that Kenma wasn’t the type to socialize that much on the phone, considering all he did in their group chat was provoke debates or just leave messages on read. This is definitely something new to Kuroo.

“You and Kenma…?” He asks, not really sure how to finish the sentence, and resorts to doing hand gestures to which Akaashi understands, thankfully. “Yeah, we talk every night. You don’t?” Akaashi replies, cocking his head slightly.

Now that Kuroo thinks about it, the two never had a private message to each other. For the whole duration of them knowing each other, they never exchanged messages on the phone unless it’s in the group chat. But still, Kenma considering Kuroo his friend certainly means something.

“I… we go home together every day so I guess it’s not really necessary…?” Kuroo answers, realizing that could be why. Akaashi nods slowly as he pockets his phone, “Kenma doesn’t usually initiate texting or calling first, it takes time for him to get comfortable,”

“And he’s comfortable with you?”

Akaashi scratches his temple, smiling a little bit. “I think so, yeah. The initiative still surprises me, though, but it’s different than before,”

‘He’s proud of that,’ Kuroo thinks, seeing Akaashi’s soft expression.

“By the way, it was nice of you to invite him for dinner, he said the curry was great,” Kuroo blushes slightly after hearing those words. “I-…”

‘Maybe I should cook again,’ he thinks, imagining Kenma on his own bed, typing on his phone with a smile on his face telling people how much he loved Kuroo’s cooking. ‘That would be nice,’ But which is it? Kenma telling everyone about his cooking prowess or Kenma being satisfied with his cooking?

He huffs an air, smiling at the thought of that. ‘Now, I understand what Yaku was talking about,’ Kuroo thought. _A Kenma effect,_ is this part of his so-called lucky aura? _He makes me feel… nice, somehow._

“Kuroo-san, we’re still not finished cleaning up, help me out with the pole for a sec,” Akaashi tells him, snapping Kuroo out of his preoccupied mind.

“Su-”

Akaashi’s phone rings and interrupts him but he closes it before returning to his task. Kuroo simply brushed it off, since it’s probably just a friend of his or Bokuto.

~ (; - ; )

For minutes, Akaashi’s phone has been ringing and ringing nonstop, to the point that Akaashi, irritated, silences his phone. They need to finish cleaning up so they can leave early but the ringing just makes it impossible for the both of them to focus. Kuroo thinks it could be an important message, so he taps on Akaashi’s shoulder and gestured over his vibrating phone in his pocket.

“You should take that,” the raven-head suggests, Akaashi takes his phone from his pocket. “It’s probably just Bokuto. I can read it later,”

“Maybe he has something to tell you,” Kuroo replies, tossing the last stray ball into the cart. “Well, you’re right but he doesn’t usually spam me…” Akaashi digs his pocket to grab his phone and finally opens it.

His eyes widened, completely still at where he stands with his hands slowly gripping hard on his phone. Akaashi’s reaction was enough to send shivers down Kuroo’s spine.

“What did he say?” Kuroo calls out, snapping Akaashi out of his frozen state and his hands start to tremble.

Kuroo stands there as he studies Akaashi’s sudden change of expression. He has never seen him like this.

Akaashi visibly gulps hard, sweat beads somehow forming on his forehead. “Mom…?” Akaashi mutters, as he slowly taps on his phone, thoroughly reading every message he ignored. His aura definitely changed, certain from his shaking hands and his moistening eyes.

Akaashi’s breathing hitches before gritting his teeth after reading the last message, and from this moment, Kuroo knows something is certainly wrong. Kuroo couldn’t help but feel heavy in his chest, feeling his own heart race seeing his friend like this.

“Akaashi?” Kuroo calls out, walking towards him to pat his shoulder, Akaashi flinches a bit at the contact and faces Kuroo, his pale face catching Kuroo off-guard. “Hey, what’s wrong? What did it say?” Kuroo asks as calmly as he can, waiting for Akaashi to respond. It felt like hours to Kuroo, as Akaashi taps on his phone to reply to the message.

“Kaori…” He finally mutters, putting the phone down. Kuroo cocks his head. “Suzumeda Kaori?” Akaashi shakes his head frantically.

“No, my sister, Akaashi Kaori!” Kuroo’s eyes widen upon hearing this… _An accident? No, she’s homebound…_

_Could it be…?_

Akaashi shoves his phone into his pocket, startling Kuroo. He quickly grabs his bag, not bothering to change back into his uniform. Kuroo stands there, not really sure what to do but to watch his friend panic at the moment.

_“Your grandpa had a stroke,”_

Kuroo remembers the feeling. Panic, fear, and the adrenaline that pushed him so much that it felt like nothing else mattered. Mixing inside him that time and all he could do was run. Time seems to slow even more as he watches Akaashi take his things with hot tears flowing down his cheeks.

Kuroo needs to do something, he thought, since he knew the feeling and he doesn’t want Akaashi to feel alone. “I need to go to the hospital, NOW! But I don’t know…” the second-year stammers.

Kuroo immediately grabs Akaashi’s shoulders, making him stay in place. Kuroo felt goosebumps all over his body, seeing Akaashi in this state: his eyes wet and cheeks flushed while he’s breathing erratically, one he has never seen before from this person but something he definitely deems as familiar since he already experienced something like this. _This is definitely something serious…_

“Hey, calm down for a sec,” Kuroo tells Akaashi. The second-year chokes back a sob, turning his face away closing his eyes shut as tears continue to flow. Kuroo winces, seeing his friend in pain. “I’ll come with you, where was she taken?”

“XXXX Medical Center,”

“Let’s go,” Kuroo immediately replies, letting go of Akaashi for a while as he takes his jacket and his bag before crossing paths with Yaku who was rather puzzled watching the two in a hurry.

“What’s the matter?” Yaku asks, noticing how unusual the scene he’s witnessing. Akaashi was already on his way out, “There’s been an emergency, I need to take Akaashi to the hospital,” Kuroo replies, as he digs into his bag, looking for something.

“Why? Is something wrong with him?” Yaku asks worriedly, looking over at Akaashi who is already far from the gym.

“Nothing’s wrong with him but can I trust you to close the gym for today?” Kuroo requests, bowing a bit while handing Yaku the gym keys. “Uh, sure thing,” The third-year libero reluctantly accepted but was unable to say something about it since Kuroo was already on his way outside the gym.

“Thanks, Yakkun!” He waves before running to Akaashi. Yaku shrugs and shoves the keys into his pocket, his mind lingering at the thought of what the emergency could be.

~

“Akaashi, let’s take a taxi. I’ll text the two to meet us there,” Kuroo suggests and not long after, both are already on their way to the hospital, still in their shorts and T-shirts, but it doesn’t matter. Akaashi’s mind only consisted of the image of his sister in the ER, surrounded by doctors while Kuroo simply stays put and wonders what kinds of mixing emotions his friend is feeling right now.

Anxiety is certainly one of them, and all the raven-head can do at the moment is stay silent, while the other frantically taps on his phone, waiting for his parents’ replies.

Inside the car, Kuroo looks over at Akaashi who has his teary eyes locked on his phone. His hands were intertwined to his phone, trembling slightly. Kuroo grabs his arm gently, in hopes to at least ease the uneasiness that was manifesting inside his underclassman at the moment. ‘But what can I say? What can I tell him?’ He asks himself, hoping this moment he picked surely is the right time to speak.

“Hey, she’s going to be alright, I promi-,”

“You can’t promise me that!” Akaashi bursts, facing Kuroo abruptly with a twisted expression, making the raven-head flinch.

“Relapses can happen, the doctor said. I shouldn’t have let my guard down,” He sobs slightly, shaking his head in denial of what he just read on his mother’s messages. Kuroo bit his lip, not expecting the response but it’s understandable. Kuroo scoots near him, doing his best to recall a few steps on how to handle this type of breakdown, hopefully applying this can calm the tension Akaashi is feeling.

“Hey now, Akaashi, you need to breathe,” That was all Kuroo can say at the moment, watching Akaashi press his phone to his head, gritting his teeth. “Breathe with me,” the third-year repeats.

It only took a few moments for Akaashi to follow his instruction.

Breathing in…

Breathing out…

Until all Akaashi could do at the moment was let his anxiety spill out as tears. Kuroo winces once again, seeing the state of his friend.

“Kuroo-san, I don’t know what to do, what if she’s gone…” Akaashi whispers, shaking his head slightly, wiping his tears away, rather abrasively.

He understands what he feels. Kuroo pulls him in a comforting hug… since that’s all he could do at the moment.

_“You’re the only one I can trust between the two of you… since you’re the only one capable of calming me down, Tetsurou-sama,”_

Kuroo sighs, feeling Akaashi hugging back as if he couldn’t let something slip away.

*** 

Yukie hums, craning her neck towards Bokuto’s direction who is currently back reading a certain conversation. She smiles amusingly before returning to her task.

“You know Bokuto, I also reread messages I had with my crush because they make me feel better,” Yukie says in a teasing manner, and this catches the attention of a few of their Fukurodani teammates.

“Oh? Bokuto has a crush?!” Komi exclaims as he removes his shirt to change back into his tracksuit. “What’s her name?” He pokes.

“Is she a kouhai or a classmate?” Sarukui asks, nudging Bokuto’s side, who still has his focus on the phone.

“No way, no wonder he’s unusually loud,” Konoha points out, before throwing a stray ball into the cart. Kenma narrows his eyes at the statement. “Isn’t he always loud?” Kenma grimaces.

“Who is this ‘crush’, Bokuto-kun? Bo-ku-no A-ka-a…” Kaori asks, walking behind Bokuto (who doesn’t seem to mind) to read the contact name. “My Akaashi,” Kaori finishes quietly while the others were still anticipating for her to say it out loud. Kenma hears this and slightly raises both of his eyebrows in surprise.

Well, considering Akaashi hasn’t said a thing or two about his current relationship with Bokuto. ‘Probably one-sided for now?’ Kenma assumes in his mind. Well, treating taiyaki for a month with the same person can really change a pair’s relationship, right?

“Akaashi Keiji?” The semi-blonde questions, loudly enough for the rest of the team to realize that it’s the same person who managed to help Bokuto recover from his emo mode. There was a small pause, and the expressions of each one of those who was curious slowly changed simultaneously.

“That Akaashi!?” Everyone, except for Kenma, exclaims in surprise.

Kenma shrugs and simply continues changing into his tracksuit, ignoring the fuss he partly created. He shakes his head in regret.

“Yes, what about it?” Bokuto pouts at the rest of the team, closing his phone before changing out of his jersey. The Fukurodani team lets out an exclamation in disbelief, well, except for Kenma who probably doesn’t want to participate in this anymore, “Isn’t he Nekoma’s setter?” Yukie asks, Konoha nods in response.

“I didn’t realize…” Komi gazes up, dazed, not really expecting it. Kaori giggles at his reaction.

“It was pretty obvious. I’m surprised you noticed it just now,” Konoha rubs his temples, shaking his head slightly. “It’s because you and Bokuto are classmates. How are we supposed to know?” Sarukui answers, smacking his arm lightly. “Bro, we literally have volleyball practice every day,”

Komi points at Kenma suddenly, making the semi-blonde flinch from the attention. “What about Kozume here? They literally go home every day, but why did he look surprised?” Kenma gives his senior a confused look while pointing to himself, “I was?”

“Hey, Kenma. When did you find out?” Kaori asks, walking up to the second-year. “Find out what?”

“About this?” Yukie replies, gesturing over at Bokuto. Kenma pauses for a while before answering, hesitant about what he’s about to say…

“Uh… when he told me…” He pauses, looking at his teammates who are somewhat eager for his answer. “…He’s his soulmate?” Kenma finishes, remembering that conversation.

Everybody blinks at him, letting a few seconds pass before chaos unfolds abruptly. _Here goes…_

“EH!? Bokuto, are you serious?” Konoha points at Bokuto. “What? You have a problem with that?” Bokuto shoots back, as he changes into his shirt.

Kenma is used to his teammates' daily banters and yes, all the semi-blonde can do is just watch. Well, what can he say? It’s a little entertaining.

“No, it’s just…w-wh… How would you know?!” Konoha stammers at this point, his words coming out a little jumbled.

“There, there Konoha-kun,” Komi jokingly pats his back as he snickers. Kenma watches his teammates figure out if Bokuto was being serious or not. The semi-blonde even has to remind himself that he’s completely serious about it, unfortunately.

‘It’s alright, they can figure it out,’ Kenma hums before opening his phone and proceeds to text Akaashi about their extended meeting that will take place later.

“Let me tell you one thing. If everything about someone feels right, then you know they're the one!” Bokuto replies, beaming.

“Akaashi is the… one? How can you tell?!”

Kenma watches how Bokuto’s expression shifts, somewhat intriguing him.

“You see, whenever we walk home together, it’s like the best time of the day because he’s there to listen to all my stories and I feel comfortable around him. He always knows what to say, and it makes me feel really good. Like something’s flying inside me,” Bokuto answers, the tone of his voice softer than usual.

_“You see, this is gonna sound weird but I like seeing you comfortable around me,”_

“Bokuto-kun, you look so smitten right now,” Yukie giggles, Bokuto grins in response. “It’s because I’m thinking about him, of course. Every time he looks at me, it makes me feel soft inside. And if he smiles because of me, I feel like I won something big… I know it! He’s the one,”

Konoha gives up at this point.

“Aw! Bokuto-san, you should tell him all of these,” Kaori suggests. “Or should I tell him for you?” Kenma says, butting in.

“NO! I mean…” Kenma raises an eyebrow at the response, Bokuto fidgets a little. “I’m the one who has to do that,”

Both girls squeal after hearing what their ace just said and the rest of the Fukurodani team kept asking questions on how sure he was. Kenma stands there, preoccupied.

He was right…from that moment at the practice match, he knew what happened between the two might lead to something. Kenma watches Bokuto who’s confident with his words, he couldn’t help but simply stare at what he was seeing, hearing.

He watches how the air around him seems to change, unsure of what it meant. But seeing it with his own eyes, it's like he always thought before… It's like a scene he has witnessed before.

~

“Hey, Bokuto-san?” Kenma calls. “Oh! Kenma, what’s up?” Bokuto turns to Kenma, halting at whatever he’s doing.

Kenma fidgets a bit, still gathering enough courage to say what he wanted to say. Bokuto nods at him slowly to encourage him. The semi-blonde takes a deep breath first like he always did.

“I really admire your confidence,” Kenma finishes, and as usual, Bokuto beams at his statement. “Ah, really?”

“Yeah, but…” Kenma pauses a bit before continuing, “Something’s really bothering me, something about what you said before…”

“Go on,” Bokuto nods, a sign of encouragement.

“You’re so sure about Akaashi being _the one,_ like you already know the answer _…_ But do you ever think about that what if… he's not it or something?” Bokuto chuckles lightly in response.

“Kenma-kun, I may be loud and confident and amazing, but of course, there are a lot of times I get this ugly feeling in the pit of my stomach, telling me that things are not going the way I want…”

Kenma hums in response… but Bokuto isn’t finished yet. “As I said before, believe more. Be it, in me, the people around me, the gods… it’s sometimes trust and just faith, you know? And don’t forget to believe in your own skills, of course, (you know, volleyball),”

This again…

“If it’s not Akaashi… then?”

“I get anxious whenever I think about him not being my soulmate, but sometimes I just think, if it’s not meant to be then why did the universe make us cross paths?”

_Could it be because of fate?_

“There should be a reason, if it’s anything, then it would be because he’s the one for me,”

_Or something else…_

“I will do my best to prove to him, too… that I’m the one for him,”

_Whatever it is… something is certainly peculiar about how I keep hearing the same thing over and over._

“EVERYONE! Gather around!” Kenma was snapped out of his headspace. The rest of the Fukurodani team perks up and gathers in a cluster in front of their coach.

“Let’s continue later, Kenma,” Bokuto says, ‘Ah, so he has more to say,’ Kenma glances at Bokuto before looking in front.

_“He’s the most beautiful flower in the garden, although I choose not to pluck him out of where he will thrive the most… that is simply because I lo-_

Their coach clears his throat before looking over at the paper he was holding, grabbing everyone’s attention. “As you know, we invited another school for a practice match tomorrow,” The whole team nods, “And I believe the school is familiar to Kozume-kun?” Kenma perks up, surprised at what his coach just said.

“Since you used to be a student there?” their coach adds.

‘Sooner or later, it would come to this,’ Kenma thought and takes a deep breath. Not really fond of recalling memories from that place… Of all places, it had to be that school.

“Yes… Nohebi High,” the semi-blonde answers. Out of the blue, Kenma feels a little uneasy by just uttering the name.

The rest of the Fukurodani team gasps, surprised, hearing this from their setter. “Really?” every single one of his teammates asks, Kenma can only nod.

Murmurs were heard but Kenma didn’t really mind, considering how this can easily stir up questions. Kenma mentally prepares himself to answer all of them, hopefully not to come across questions he doesn’t want to answer. “And you used to be a part of their volleyball team?” Kenma nods in response.

“Eh? You were? But we didn’t see you at the tournaments last year,” Washio mentions. “I quit before the tournaments started,” Kenma answers, gazing downwards.

“I believe you know some of the players in their team,” Their coach presumes.

“Yes, I do…” Kenma replies biting his cheek, their coach turns to the rest of the team. “I believe you are all familiar with how Nohebi plays?” The rest of the team nods a little skeptically, murmurs heard all over the group.

“It’s been a while since we had a match against them,” Konoha says, raising his hand. “Yeah, I heard they’ve gotten stronger this year,”

“Kenma! Why don’t you tell us what you think about them?” Bokuto exclaims, startling the semi-blonde. Kenma scratches his arm, not really sure where to start.

He remembers some of them and their skills… their tactics and of course their attitudes. His old classmates, Seguro and Akama. His old seniors, Sakishima, Hiroo, Numai, and Takachiho. And of course his old captain and vice-captain… Kenma furrows his eyebrows slightly.

“They…” He begins, finally, and everybody is all ears. “The old captain (graduated) was really tough on the team, and the vice-captain was always absent, so I don’t know anything about him… he’s a third-year by now,” He finishes, briefly recalling those grueling practices and the ever absent and ‘irresponsible’ (or so his old teammates used to describe him) vice-captain.

Apparently, Kenma forgot his name…

“How do they usually play?” Kenma pauses a bit, looking down as he thinks about their old play style.

“They like using feints… and pinpoint serves since the second-years from when I was still a first-year there are exceptionally strong at it. Nohebi excels in defense and consistency… the team takes it slow, that’s how they always take the win,” The semi-blonde explains and the rest of the team nods.

“Alright! Thank you, Kozume,” Their coach says before facing the rest of the team. “Tomorrow, we’ll be trying out our new formation against Nohebi…”

The coach’s voice slowly fades out in Kenma’s mind as his mind lingers to the thought of seeing the Nohebi team once again. ‘What are they gonna say about me if they see me again?’ he thinks… the memory of how distressing his past in that place was clouding his mind from thinking more clearly.

He could still faintly hear the voices of his old seniors at the back of his mind. Making him feel small all over again. ‘I don’t think I can deal with tomorrow,’

 _“You wanna know what I thought of you?”_ Kenma stops fidgeting, remembering Kuroo’s voice from that night at their place. _“You just need the right motivation…”_ He said.

That’s right… he returned to volleyball, after all, deeming what happened at his first year unimportant. The first time he thought about it was that he was doing it for Shoyo. Kenma takes in a deep breath as he thinks… ‘If I can find the right motivation for going back to volleyball, then I can find the right motivation to deal with tomorrow…’

And just like that, the faint voices slowly disappear. _All because of a senpai’s encouragement…_

~

“Please don’t forget, the volleyball team will still be participating in the School Event after the tournament, is that clear?” The coach reminds before facing the managers.

“Yes sir!” the volleyball team yells back before scattering. “So what’s 3-3 up to this time?” Komi prompts. “Boring horror house, I think,” Kohona sighs dejectedly.

“The second years are doing a café,” Kaori mentions. “The maid ones?” Yukie nods.

“Holy shit! Ladies in maid outfits this year? We’re so lucky!”

Kenma heads to where his bag is at and notices Bokuto walking towards him with his own bag on his arm.

“Say, Kenma, I didn’t know you used to study in Nohebi. What made you quit the team?” Bokuto asks, fixing his bag before putting it around his shoulder. Kenma purses his lips, thinking about the answer he already prepared for this question.

“The team… is vicious,” He mutters, zipping up his jacket, not really fond of recalling his experience back in that school.

“What?” Bokuto leans forward considering how inaudible Kenma’s voice is. The semi-blonde sighs. “Nothing… they used to tell me I don’t deserve to play the sport because of how inexperienced I looked…” Kenma trails off. Some of his teammates overheard the sentence.

“They used to call me _dead weight…_ doubled the work on me, didn’t let me play. Stopped coming to practice ever since,” Kenma finishes, putting on his bag. “They didn’t give me a chance to prove myself…” He adds, saying it flatly as if it didn’t have any effect on him. But the rest of the team can see something different in his tone than what Kenma is trying to express.

“Clearly, they lost something really valuable in their team,” Komi points out, Kenma shrugs. “Don’t worry about that, you’re here now!” Sarukui pats the second-year’s back in reassurance as the others walk up to the semi-blonde, minding how close they are to their shy setter, patting him.

“Yeah, you have no idea how lucky we are to have you in our team, Kozume,” Konoha mentions as he passes by and everyone else agrees to it. “Um… thanks guys,” Kenma replies, slightly smiling.

‘Right, I’m not in Nohebi anymore,’

“Don’t even think you don’t deserve to be in a team. You’re literally our backbone here,” Komi points out. “The brain, rather,” Washio butts in. “No, it’s 'backbone',”

“Brain,”

“Backbone,”

~

The rest of the team heads outside the gym after a few moments, seeing the sun already starting to set. They all head to the locker room to grab their things. Bokuto slows down a bit, matching Kenma’s pace who was walking a little behind the rest of the team.

Kenma acknowledges Bokuto’s presence as he smiles at the second-year. ‘He’s going to say the rest of what he wanted to say a while ago,’ Kenma assumes but what Bokuto says next catches him off-guard.

“I used to know someone from the Nohebi Volleyball team,” Bokuto says, Kenma blinks at him.

_Small world…_

“Really?” Kenma asks in bewilderment, Bokuto nods in response. “Yeah… he used to be Kuroo’s friend, but I’m glad they’re not anymore,”

“What, why?”

“Don’t get me wrong, he just… he doesn’t deserve Kuroo’s kindness. And I’m glad you’re out of that environment too,” Bokuto replies in a grateful tone at the end of the sentence, grinning at Kenma.

“Not all students in Nohebi are that bad,” Kenma comments.

“Yeah, but still. I remembered something about you saying you stopped coming to practice because you thought you wouldn't be useful to the team,” Bokuto starts. Kenma was about to say something but the other wasn't finished yet.

“I don’t know what they really did to make you feel so down about volleyball, I mean volleyball is for everyone! It’s fun! but I’m sure whatever reason that made you come back is literally the coolest thing ever,” Kenma didn’t know what to say next. The semi-blonde simply hums, not really sure if he should reply or not.

“Uh… I guess Shoyo is cool…?” Kenma replies, hesitantly.

“So it really was him!?” Bokuto beams. “What school is he from?” He asks, basically not giving Kenma a chance to bring a small pause in the conversation.

“Karasuno… Miyagi Prefecture,” Kenma answers. Bokuto lets out a disappointed sigh. “Aw… that’s so far away,” the grey-head takes a deep breath, placing his fists on his hips, stopping overall. “But I believe I will meet him in the future,” He declares, Kenma watches him.

“Bokuto-san,” the semi-blonde calls, his voice trailing off. “Yeah?”

“Nothing, I somehow envy how you have huge faith in… things,” Kenma replies. “Why wouldn’t I?”

“Because it’s…” _ridiculous_. No, it’s not ridiculous... Kenma thinks back to his conversation with Kuroo about the Star. There are so many things he doesn’t know about his existence and everything else that relates to his case. And all he ever heard was that he needed to ‘believe,’.

Kenma remembers how Kuroo was also confident he found Kenma when all he ever did was merely tell him that he’s the Star, and shows no evidence of it. Since who knows, right? Kuroo simply believes that it’s him, even though he himself wasn’t so sure.

 _“I’m the myth reborn,”_ Because he is his grandparent’s lucky boy and he brings forth luck to wherever he resides…

“Who knows if it’s really you…” Kenma continues, making Bokuto confused at the sentence Kenma absentmindedly made.

“What are you saying, Kenma?” Bokuto asks, tilting his head to the side to express his confusion. Kenma realizes his mistake and shakes his head immediately. “It’s nothing,” he answers.

At the same time, both phones suddenly vibrate after receiving a message. ‘Probably from the group chat,’ Kenma assumes as he takes his phone from his pocket.

“Oh! I got a text from Kuroo,” Bokuto announces, and finally takes his phone. Kenma didn’t bother answering back to Bokuto as he already had his gaze fixed on his phone. He opens the message and reads.

‘ _meet us in XXXXX hospital, there’s an emergency, it’s Akaashi’s sister,’_

Kenma swore he just heard his heart pound after reading what Kuroo just sent. Kenma instinctively look at Bokuto who has his eyes wide on his phone, frozen in his place. Kenma reaches for his friend to tug his jacket “Boku-,” but what happens next caught him off guard.

“Kenma, let’s go,” Bokuto says before quickly grabbing Kenma’s wrist a little aggressively, catching Kenma off-guard from the tone of his voice and how serious he looked at the moment. The semi-blonde can feel it through his grip.

“Wait,” Kenma calls, as he was being pulled abruptly on the way past their club room coming across two of their clubmates.

“Kao- Suzumeda-chan,” Bokuto hesitates. “What’s up?” Kaori replies, unaware of Bokuto’s demeanor.

“We need to go now, I entrust the rest to you and Konoha,” Bokuto orders before pulling Kenma away from them, not wasting a second. “Wait, what happe-,” The two were already far from the room before Konoha had the chance to ask.

~

“Bokuto-san?” Kenma calls, trying to catch Bokuto’s attention as they sit inside the taxi in silence that Kenma isn’t really used to when he’s with his noisy friend. Right now, Bokuto is slumped forward, his arms resting on his thighs. “Bo-”

“Keiji loves his sister so much, I can’t imagine what’s going through his mind right now…” He says, intertwining both his fingers together as he leans his forehead to it. Silence fell between them once more.

“Bokuto… san?” Kenma calls once again, skeptically.

“And I’m not there to tell him ‘everything is going to be alright,’…” Bokuto presses his palms on his face, covering it. Kenma didn’t realize he was already wincing at the sight of him being in this state. One that is far scarier than his usual dejected emo mode…

One that seems irrecoverable…

“In 10 minutes, you’ll see him. Kuro’s with him right now,” Kenma reassures, glancing at his phone, seeing Kuroo’s updates.

“But… I need to be there for him,”

“You will be,” Kenma says, patting his back gently.

‘He was just telling everyone how much Akaashi makes him feel whole,’ Kenma recalls… Somehow, watching his friend in this state and remembering their practice match, he can’t help but think that what Bokuto has been saying is true.

A soulmate being the other half of a whole… Akaashi changed Bokuto a lot, his teammates pointed out before. As he thinks about it, he wonders what could be running inside Bokuto’s mind at the moment…

Knowing that a really important person in his life just met a very dreadful situation.

~

The two finally arrive at the hospital and both dashed on their way to the waiting room where they see a very familiar bedhead hairstyle. “There you are!” Bokuto exclaims but Kenma didn’t bother complaining as his eyes were locked on the sight of Kuroo’s arms around Keiji.

“Kuro?”

Kuroo hears Kenma’s voice and their gazes meet.

**END OF CHAPTER 9**

“You must be Kaori-chan!” Bokuto beams, seeing a certain 10-year-old in the living room, reading a manga. “And you must be Bokuto-senpai?” Kaori stands to greet his brother’s visitor, smiling from ear to ear. “It’s nice to finally meet you!” Bokuto smiles, waving at her before giving her a careful hug, considering how excited he is to finally meet _his_ _soulmate’s_ important person and of course, with Kaori still recovering from her illness.

“Keiji-oniichan tells me a lot of story about you,” Kaori mentions. “Really!? What kind of story? Does he tell you how awesome I am?” Bokuto asks excitedly but Kaori shakes her head. “The boring ones,” She sighs, picking up her manga, beckoning the third-year to sit beside her on the carpeted floor.

“Eh?! I’m boring?” Bokuto exclaims dejectedly, sitting down, careful not to touch any tubes connected on a machine near them. “No, you’re not boring Bokuto-senpai! it’s the ‘feelings’ and ‘emotions’ types of story, he knows I get bored at those but he told me anyway because he can’t tell anyone except me,” Kaori explains. Bokuto blinks, shocked at what he just heard.

“He talks about me… about feelings… for me?” the third-year asks, pointing to himself.

“Yes! I miss Tenma-senpai’s storytelling, I prefer action and historical stuff!” Kaori says, showing Bokuto the one she’s reading at the moment but somehow, the third-year seemed dazed.

“You don’t like it when I tell you stories, Riri-chan?” Bokuto turns abruptly to where Akaashi was standing. Gulping at the sight of him wearing an apron, holding a tray of snacks. Akaashi puts the tray on the table before sitting next to Bokuto.

“When you tell me about your feelings for Bo-,” Akaashi knew what she was going to say next so he lightly slaps his hand to her mouth to prevent her from continuing any further. The look of panic was evident in the eyes of the second-year but, luckily, he has his back faced to Bokuto.

“Hey, why don’t we play some cards while senpai is here,” Akaashi chuckles, nervously as he slowly puts his hands down before taking the deck of cards from the table to show it to his sister. “OK!” she beams, taking the cards from her big brother. "The person with most wins gets to eat the extra snacks tonight," His sister beams before she starts shuffling the cards.

Bokuto's eyes linger on the tray where he sees an extra plate of snacks (snacks that stands out the most), which he assumes is specifically for Kaori, he chimes. “You’re a really good big brother, you know that right?”

“What did she tell you?” Akaashi whispers, turning to Bokuto after making sure his sister is distracted. Bokuto flinches at the question and he taps on his chin, avoiding Akaashi’s gaze for a moment before answering. “That you have feelings for me?” Bokuto grins sheepishly. Akaashi blinks before leaning back.

“I-…" Not really sure what to answer for that question. "By the way, Kuroo invited Kenma for dinner,” Akaashi says instead. Bokuto cocks his head to the side since he couldn’t help but notice the ever reddening cheeks of his friend at the moment. “Do have feelings for me?” Bokuto asks and Akaashi flinches. The second-year meets his gaze in a slight panic, he begins to stammer but no real sentences came out of his mouth. He stops after realizing what just did and what happened next didn’t really come to Akaashi’s mind.

Bokuto giggles. _He just giggled._

“Are you weirded out?” Akaashi asks, cringing a little. Bokuto shakes his head. “Not at all. I’m glad,”

“Glad about what?” the second-year asks. “That you have feelings for… me?” Bokuto smiles a little. Akaashi blinks, looking downwards for a moment, but Bokuto has his gaze locked on him. Akaashi could feel his cheeks warm, just at the thought of Bokuto staring at him. While Bokuto watches Akaashi, letting the pleasant feeling in him flow through his body.

Like the sprouting of flowers in the first light of spring. Akaashi stammers once again, but this time, he found the words he could say at the moment.

“For the record, it’s completely out of admiration,” He corrects, Bokuto pouts jokingly. “Oh… that’s too bad,”

“Why so?” Akaashi asks as Bokuto leaned forward a bit.

_“Our baby brother Kou-chan… One day, you will find the one who will make you feel the happiest and weak (but in a good way) at the same time and they are called your ‘soulmate’. They are the ones who make you feel whole since they are the other half of you,”_

_“But of course, both of you need to feel the same, and the ones who found their soulmates ended up the happiest. Kou-chan, you will be forever happy once you meet the one! You will find that person one day," his sisters’ words burned in his mind like a tattoo._

“Because… I do too, have feelings for you,” Bokuto answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OK! Hey guys! did you like the chapter? let me know, haha. So anyway, how are you guys doing? Are you good? Don't stress yourself too much, Ok?
> 
> About the certain part in this chapter, I did my best to portray what the person (who is witnessing the panic attack) is feeling. It’s my first time writing something like this so I asked my friends about their experiences in witnessing a panic attack first hand to make sure I got it right. I hope I got it right (; _ ;) A huge thank you to them!
> 
> So... in this fic, Kenma used to be a Nohebi student because he... (If I tell you, it's definitely a spoiler). Now I'm getting excited to write the whole story coz it. goes. DEEPER. (Well, not really). Bokuto and Akaashi's relationship is developing real fast... well, this is a Kuroken Slow build fic... so what's up BokuAka fans, how are you liking their development in this fic so far?
> 
> I hope you guys liked the chapter, see you in the next one!


	10. A Good Friend

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akaashi learns about the Legend as the four of them eat dinner at the hospital cafeteria.
> 
> *** 
> 
> The Great Elder takes notice that his immortality might come to an end one day in this life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :3
> 
> Oh hi! I'm two weeks late. Are you still reading this? Hello?
> 
> ANYWAY! HI THERE!!! if you're an old reader or a new reader! I hope you're liking the story so far. I hope you'll like this chapter as well.
> 
> Tati_xo! Thank you for helping me edit this chapter!

It was unusual for Kenma’s class to see their quiet and apathetic Kozume smile in the morning. It wasn’t a cute one or a forced one. It’s just a subconscious half-smile and they can tell that it’s genuine but Kenma didn’t even know he was wearing it until his seatmate pointed it out.

‘Why the hell…?’ Kenma would think but his mind already gave him the reason behind his unusual demeanor. _Kuro._

Well, it was also the same butterflies, the same effect that makes his chest thump for no reason. And the fact that only Kuroo can make him feel like this makes this semi-blonde nervous. ‘He’s just your senior who's being good to you,’ Kenma would remind himself. It shouldn’t mean anything since, after all, this is not the first time he's had romantic feelings towards another person. He knows what to label his feelings.

‘Just a good senpai,’

Kenma repeats in his head, it helps him calm down.

Standing a few feet away from their two friends, Kenma sees Kuroo’s arms embracing another person. He felt a violent thump in his chest, making him feel heavy and Kenma didn’t like it at all.

“Kuro?” Kenma mumbles, his voice drowned out by the noise inside the large waiting room. Kuroo and Akaashi turned their heads in Bokuto and Kenma’s direction and they beam as they stare at their friends. Kuroo stands, letting go of Akaashi completely but the weight is still in Kenma’s chest.

“Kenma, Bokuto, you guys made it,” Kuroo says, walking towards Bokuto and he pats his back. Bokuto has his gaze locked on Akaashi, taking steps to sit beside him without hesitation.

“Akaashi?” he calls, Akaashi wipes a tear that fell from his own cheek before it was Bokuto’s turn to embrace him.

Kuroo turns to Kenma who has his eyes on the two, “Let’s leave them both be for a while,” he says. Kenma turns to him, rather surprised, hearing what he just said. He studies Kuroo’s face who seems like he’s seen the two of them like that before. “You know that he…” Kuroo cuts him off mid-sentence.

“Yeah, Bokuto tells me everything,” Kuroo nods. Kenma returns his gaze on the two, shaking his head in denial but quickly gets over it.

“Oh, I forgot you two are extremely close,” Kenma comments, scratching his cheeks, somehow the weight in his chest disappearing completely. Kuroo sighs in relief, before letting out a chuckle, easing the tense atmosphere.

“Wanna grab some candy?” The raven-head suggested, pointing in the direction of the vending machine in the hallway, just a few meters away from them. “Sure, you guys must’ve been waiting for a while,” Kenma replies before the both of them turn away from the waiting room and head out. Kenma briefly turns around to check the two, seeing that Akaashi was smiling, he felt his shoulders relax.

‘Bokuto knows what he’s doing,’ Kenma thought.

“We should grab the chocolate ones,” Kuroo says as they both stand in front of the vending machine with Kenma’s money already out, ready to push it into the machine. Kenma stops.

Kenma faces Kuroo, handing him the money. “You take it, you might get lucky,” the semi-blonde said, putting the money in the raven-head’s hands.

“And here you’re skeptical about your existence, Oh Wishing Star,” Kuroo teases, smirking at his underclassman. “Shut up, I don’t get lucky, people around me do,” Kenma sighs, exasperatedly as he pushes the money to the raven-head’s hand who chuckles in response.

“Let’s see,” Kuroo then pushes the money in and begins contemplating. “Pick this one and this one,” Kenma points at two eye-catching ones. “Ok,” Kuroo nods before pressing the buttons.

For a second, the machine beeps abnormally which makes the duo a little nervous. Kenma looks at Kuroo, who was already side-glancing at him. “What have you done, Kuro?” Kenma nervously says, tugging his shirt. “Don’t look at me, I just normally did what people do with vending machines,” The raven-head defends, raising both of his arms.

After a few seconds, Kuroo gasps, seeing that multiple candies fell instead of two. “No freaking way!” The raven-head exclaims pushing his face to the glass, watching the candies freely fall. Kenma beams as Kuroo bend down to collect them one by one.

“Oh hell yeah, I got a bunch!” Kuroo exclaims, giving the other half to the semi-blonde who frantically carries them without trying to drop one. “Great, enough for the four of us,” Kenma comments, hiding a few in his pockets and Kuroo does the same while glancing from side to side, noticing someone giving them a suspicious look. “You better hide those or we’ll get scolded,” Kenma warns, pocketing a few.

“Thank you for the blessing, Oh Wishing Star,” The raven-head smiles cheekily at Kenma, making the semi-blonde narrow his eyes at the nickname once more.

“Stop calling me that,” Kenma deadpans as they both start walking back to the waiting room. “Kyanm-,” Before Kuroo can even finish, Kenma’s glares at him, sending slight shivers down the raven-head’s spine.

“Ok, ok, I’ll stop,” He nods, scratching the back of his head, a candy falling from his arms. Kenma bends down to retrieve it, putting it in his own pocket before tilting his head slightly up to face Kuroo.

“By the way, you’re a really good friend,” Kenma compliments after a small pause, going a step ahead of Kuroo who hummed in response. “I mean… these candies are for all of us,”

“Not the candy, I meant…” Kenma pauses. “You going out of your way to accompany Akaashi,” Kenma corrects, continuing his sentence. The raven-head smiles slightly, gazing at the candies in his arms. “I… When Akaashi was breaking down, I couldn’t help but think about myself when I experienced the same thing,” Kuroo replies, recalling a small memory.

“What happened? If you don’t mind me asking,” Kenma asks. Kuroo clears his throat.

“My grandfather had a stroke, and I was in the middle of something when dad told me, I thought I wasn’t going to see him again. I was alone that time, so when Akaashi received the news that his sister got taken to the ER, I just knew that he needed someone,” Kenma nods, humming in response and returns his gaze forward. For a second he felt his chest leap. There was a small pause between them, with only the faint hospital ambiance and their footsteps heard at the moment. Kenma pockets more candy to free his hand.

‘This guy… he’s such a good senpai,’ Kenma thought.

“You two…” Kenma says, hesitantly raising his free hand to pat Kuroo’s back. As his hand came in contact with his back, he panicked for a little second before concluding to rub his back instead. Kenma’s cheeks reddened but there’s no turning back, well, since Kuroo seemed to have needed that, as felt from the raven-head’s body relaxing.

“Oh, this is nice,” The raven-head replies, returning the pat with a hair ruffle immediately, as another candy falls from his arms once again. “You always ruffle my hair,” Kenma points out before bending down, again, to retrieve the fallen candy.

“Yeah, coz your hair looks nice,” Kuroo smiles, taking the candy from Kenma, tucking it securely in his arms. “So the pat was of appreciation? Comfort?” Kuroo asks, leaning towards Kenma.

“You don’t need to overanalyze everything I do, Kuro,”

“Kenma, do you realize how adorable you are?” The raven-head hums, nudging Kenma’s side lightly with his elbow. “Because I’m a junior?” Kenma raises an eyebrow. “Your age has nothing to do with it. You’re only a year younger than me. So maybe… in general terms?”

“Um, thanks? I guess,” Kenma awkwardly replies. ‘This isn’t the first time I get told that I’m adorable, but why does my body feel like it’s going to melt?’

The two arrive at the waiting room, seeing Bokuto beckoning them to move faster. Kenma makes sure nothing falls out of his pockets so he carefully slides his feet the rest of the way through while Kuroo carelessly runs towards Bokuto and Akaashi who are surprised at the insane amount of candy bars in their arms. Kenma felt a little anxious considering the duo looked like they stole a candy store while the man in uniform in the waiting room glared at them.

“Hey, guys! You bought the whole vending machine?” Bokuto exclaims, “For worth only two candies,” Kuroo winks and glances at Kenma who arrived beside him.

“You delinquents,” Bokuto laughs, taking half of what Kuroo’s holding and shoving some in his bags and giving a few to Akaashi.

The semi-blonde gulps a bit, contemplating whether he should tell his noisy friends to be quieter or just run at the sight of trouble (upon noticing the man in uniform talking to another one while pointing at the four of them). ‘No, Kuro has the butterscotch ones… and I can’t leave Akaashi alone with these two,’ Kenma thought, shaking his head slightly. Well, speaking of Akaashi…

“Akaashi, how are you?” Kenma asks, putting the rest of the candy in his bag and giving Akaashi one. “I’m fine, still a little shaken at the news. My parents should be here any minute to share an update, we’re waiting for the results,” Akaashi replies, sniffling a little bit as he takes the candy from Kenma while the semi-blonde sits behind him, shifting to let their shoulders touch.

“Don’t worry we’re here for you,” Kenma reassures, Akaashi tilts his head down, tearing the wrapper open as he hides his face while taking a bite.

Bokuto ruffles Akaashi’s hair and Kuroo pats his back. Akaashi gives them a weak smile, before gazing back down at his bitten candy while fiddling with the wrapper. “I’m sorry, I ruined the plan,” Akaashi sniffles, earning disagreeing remarks from Bokuto and Kuroo. “No, you didn’t ruin anything,”

“Right now, you are our priority, Akaashi,” Bokuto says, giving him a soft smile. “We care about your little sister, too,”

“We’d still be undecided on where to go even if we’re not here,” Kenma points out to which the raven-head agrees, nodding. “Since Bokuto is awfully bad at planning,”

“I’m not that bad!” Bokuto defends, earning a few side glances from the quiet room. Kenma smacks him on his arm as Kuroo snickers.

“You guys…” Akaashi suddenly sobs, alarming the three of his friends, frantically thinking of what to do. “Hey don’t cry now, we’re here,” Kuroo says with Kenma taking out a handkerchief for Akaashi.

“You guys are really cool, you know that,” Akaashi sobs once again, using the handkerchief to wipe the tears away. “I know,” Bokuto nods with a grin plastered on his face. Kuroo and Kenma roll their eyes at Bokuto, Akaashi giggles at their reaction before sighing.

“But there goes our only chance to hang out,” Akaashi points out, dejectedly. “It’s fine, there’s the Fukurodani Cultural Event right?” Kuroo turns to Bokuto who perks up at a realization before exclaiming.

“Oh shit! Yeah! The Fukurodani Event is always the coolest,” The owl-head claims as the two-second years merely look at their seniors with a questioning look. “We should hang out there as a group! It’s also Nekoma’s holiday right?” Bokuto asks, Kuroo nods rapidly in response.

“Yes, we will! There’s tons of stuff to try there,” The raven-head turns to their juniors with his face now filled with excitement. “Oh! It’s also Kenma’s first time,”

“We’ll make sure your experience will be a blast,”

Kenma and Akaashi looked at each other before shrugging in acknowledgment as their two seniors continued blabbering a few memories of the said event. Akaashi silently takes the last bite of his candy before crumpling the wrapper in his hands. “Kenma, what should I do if something goes wrong?” Akaashi asks, catching Kenma off-guard as he turns his gaze at him.

Kenma has met Kaori before (through a call), and they already had a conversation about her illness in the past. Kenma hums, thinking if that would be the case, that something might go wrong. The image of Kaori smiling at him and her unusual energy (for a sick person) that Kenma wasn’t prepared for, came to the semi-blonde’s mind. Kenma sighs.

“If something goes wrong?” Kenma repeats, his gaze darting elsewhere as he looks for an answer. “Nothing will go wrong,” He answers, straightforwardly. Akaashi pauses for a while, blinking at his response. He chuckles at the confidence of his words, running his hand through his face. “I sounded like Bokuto-san, didn’t I?” Kenma asks.

“A little, but… your hunches are always right, maybe I should believe more,”

“I see,” Kenma answers before taking his phone out of his pocket and shifting closer to Akaashi, letting their shoulders touch as he leans closer to the semi-blonde gently nudging his shoulder to the other, Akaashi smiles softly at the sight of this before sighing. “You’re very much like a cat, did you know that?”

“A cat?”

“I think it’s cute,” _Nothing_. No random heartbeat or chest clenching. Just a wholesome feeling overwhelming the semi-blonde’s body. ‘I thought I was the one making the other feel comfort,’

The four friends stayed in the waiting room, watching the minute hand of the clock tick by and the people around them minding their own business. If they’re not being silent, Bokuto would crack up a joke or start a banter with Kuroo, just to ease a little tension. Kenma simply watches the rest of them, darting his eyes up to his friends and back to his phone now and then while Akaashi watches him play. It was a rather slow yet agonizing hour as they waited for an update about Akaashi’s sister.

Time seemed too slow for Akaashi when he saw his parents walking towards them. Akaashi stands up, earning the attention of the three, as he walks up to his parents wordlessly. Kuroo, Bokuto, and Kenma looked at each other in worry, but seeing the relieved smile of the Akaashi couple, the weight in their chests were lifted.

“You must be Keiji’s friends,” Akaashi’s mother mentions, snapping all of them from their preoccupied state.

“Dad, Mom, this is Kuroo and Kozume,” Their son introduces, and the three friends bow in greeting. “Nice to meet you, everyone,” the couple greets back with a warm smile.

The doctor steps inside the waiting room with the group and all heads turn to him, noticing a rather relieved and light expression on his face. The doctor faces the couple with a smile on his face. “Your daughter’s surgery was a success,”

Bokuto cheers, high-fiving with Kuroo and Kenma (reluctant and startled as always). As for Akaashi (Keiji), he covered his face from the overwhelming joy and relief that was going through his body right now. He sobs through his palms and the three immediately come to his comfort.

“It’s like a miracle suddenly came since it’s risky for someone her age to go through this type of procedure but she is a lucky one,” The doctor explains. “In other words, she’s going to be fine and we can discharge her after a week, and quite possibly there would be no more problems then,”

“Thank God!” Akaashi’s mom sighs, gripping her husband’s hand that’s intertwined with hers.

“You hear that Akaashi-kun? Kaori’s going to be alright!” Bokuto reminds Akaashi, pulling him to a tight hug, sweeping him off of his feet as he rocks him from side to side.

Kenma stood there, his lips twitching sensing the tension disappearing completely in their small group. He didn’t realize that Kuroo had his gaze locked on him in a side glance, smiling at him instead of the scene before them. _A miracle or two can happen_ , Kuroo recalls Kenma’s exact words.

A few moments after a few introductions, Kenma checks his phone to see that it’s already late enough for dinner. They weren’t hungry yet, that’s one reason why they haven’t noticed the time. Kenma was about to say something when Akaashi’s parents lifted their arms to show the four what they have been holding all this time. Their mouth waters at the sight of the familiar wrappings of the boxes “By the way, we bought you guys dinner. Thank you for keeping Keiji company,”

“Thank you very much, Akaashi-san,” The three bow in thanks as Keiji takes the wrapped boxes. “You four must’ve been tired, so accept these and eat well in the cafeteria, we have to take care of a few things in the meantime,”

“Thanks, mom,” Keiji smiles. “Call us if you need anything,” His mom instructs before turning in the opposite direction as they wave goodbye.

“Akaashi, your mom is literally the coolest,” Bokuto compliments, as he helped Akaashi with the box.

~

Bokuto is loud as usual. Well, at least he’s finally loud again after hearing the good news. It is also a relief seeing Akaashi finally free from the tension he’s been feeling for almost hours now, as Kenma observes from his soft expression and relaxed shoulders. Kenma simply eats from his dinner, while he’s on his phone, and like before, Kuroo and Bokuto are still having a discussion on certain things with Akaashi listening to their conversation until finally…

Bokuto mentions the inevitable. “By the way dude, Nohebi was invited for a match,” Kuroo freezes, becoming fidgety all of a sudden. “You’re serious?” The raven-head asks for confirmation, putting his chopsticks down.

“Yeah, it was unexpected, but at least I get to have a chance to teach that Daishou a lesson,” Bokuto says, gritting his teeth through a grin.

“You don’t have to, it’s in the past now anyway,” Kuroo shakes his head, taking his chopsticks to continue eating. “Just by beating him in volleyball, bro,”

With Akaashi busy with his meal, beside him was Kenma who couldn’t help but notice something different with Kuroo’s now demeanor: his lip corners were heavy, and his eyebrows were twitching from furrowing close and his eyes looking as if he was gazing at a distant. Kenma cocks his head, to which Akaashi notices, and the semi-blonde asks, connecting a few dots.

“Kuro is he the…?” Kuroo perks up and darts his gaze towards Kenma’s, they meet. “Oh, yeah… it’s him. Daishou Suguru, captain of Nohebi High Volleyball club,” The raven-head answers, already sure what Kenma was talking about.

“He’s the one who told you about _the Legend_?” Kenma asks, his eyes widening in surprise, almost dropping his chopsticks in the process, considering how _small the world is_.

“What Legend guys? Who’s Daishou?” Akaashi asks, a little behind, looking up from his food but Bokuto takes the chance and opens his loudmouth who took this chance to speak up, answering Kenma’s question before Kuroo.

“Yeah! by the way, you know about that Legend, Kenma? Did Daishou tell you too in your first year in Nohebi?” He questions Kenma. Startled, Kenma pauses, unsure how to answer the questions, registering the fact that he finally recalled the name and face of the old vice-captain he used to know.

“Nohebi?” Kuroo raises an eyebrow at Kenma but he is ignored. Poor Akaashi was looking back and forth between his three friends, confused at what their conversation was about.

“No, it’s coz… wait, you also know about it?” Kenma raises an eyebrow, curious. “You know about the Legend?” The semi-blonde adds as he tilts his head to the side.

“Yeah, the love story one Daishou used to tell Kuroo here,” Bokuto points his thumb towards Kuroo next to him. Akaashi opens his mouth to speak but Bokuto beats him to it once again. “It’s a lost legend since nobody is preserving it, I’m surprised you know about it,”

“What Le-,” Akaashi asks but was cut off by Kenma. “Well, it's called _lost_ for a reason,”

“But how did you know about it?”

Akaashi sighs, setting his chopsticks down, and crosses his arms as he finally catches the attention of the three. “Seriously, I’m not catching up really well to you guys, why don’t you at least tell me who this Daishou dude is? I’m a little behind,” Akaashi complains, earning a nervous chuckle from Bokuto with Kenma suddenly glaring at his noisy senior.

“Daishou is Kuroo’s old friend,” Bokuto stammers, trying to be careful as he explains. Akaashi looks at Kuroo who nods in confirmation before looking back at Bokuto. Akaashi glares at him before exhaling a breath while his expression finally softens. “Alright… thank you,”

“Sorry about that Akaashi,” Kuroo apologizes and Akaashi nods in response, silence filling the table.

“You know about the Legend of Yamaneki-Neko, Akaashi?” Bokuto speaks up suddenly, his attention all to Akaashi only. “Yamaneko,” Kuroo corrects, taking the last bite from his meal before wiping his mouth with a napkin.

“No, I don’t know such a legend called Yamaneko,” Akaashi replies, shaking his head. “Well, it’s a story about a… was it a killer? Then there’s blessings and good luck, I don’t know, Daishou was weird,” Bokuto explains, scratching his head, gazing upwards as he tries to recall the story.

“A story about a mythical person called the Wishing Star,” Kenma finishes and all their heads turn to him. The semi blonde has his gaze locked on the rest of his meal as he picks on the food with his chopsticks.

Akaashi perks up, not really sure if he heard it right but somehow, something about what Kenma just said, made him feel as if he already heard this before. “Can you… tell us about it?” Akaashi asks, Kenma darts his eyes towards the gazes of his seniors, acknowledging them one by one before sighing, leaning back on his chair. Akaashi leans forward to Kenma, listening intently as evident through his widened eyes that he’s unaware of. Kuroo, too, does the same, as he never heard the version Kenma knew about.

“The story follows the star, passing through earth, and dwelled to one of the humans and lived simply. The Star was worshipped because of the fortune they brought until one greedy person wanted him dead and hired an assassin to obtain a wish. The assassin fell in love with the star and the body of the star started to deteriorate and told his love that he will come back again and he will love him again,” Kenma says, setting down the chopstick after taking the last bite of his meal.

There was silence between the group before Bokuto tilted his head to the side, thus breaking the silence. “What?”

Kenma sighs as he thinks he’s going to tell the story all over again. “This is a version I heard about, so it’s probably different from Kuro’s,” the semi-blonde explains instead, gesturing over to Kuroo. “I thought the story was about the badass assassin?” Bokuto asks.

“What story is this? I want to hear it,” Akaashi says, waving his hand to signal to start now, his gaze focused and eyes sparkling with interest as he faces Bokuto.

“So, the version in Osaka, the one Daishou told Kuroo about, is about Yamaneki-Neko,” Bokuto starts but Kuroo corrects him once again. “Kuroo, why don’t you take it from here. You know it better than I do,” Bokuto remarks. Kuroo clicks his tongue as he was about to say something but Kenma interrupted him.

“Yeah, I haven’t heard about that version, yet,” The semi-blonde claims, watching Kuroo blink before he scratches his cheeks. “Um, sure,” The raven-head replies and everyone has lent their ears a little moment later. Kuroo clears his throat as he begins.

“Yamaneko is a trained assassin who, after meeting his lover and losing them, changed his ways. He would take jobs to kill for the good and expose the bad. He was an admirable fellow and they say that Yamaneko is simply continuing his assassinations just to seek his lover and find them once more since he lost them to another hunter or something,” the raven-head finishes while Bokuto nods.

Akaashi stays in his place, frozen.

_Keiji turns around to see Kenma with his small blade on his right hand. And like a flash of lightning, the simple boy Keiji thought he knew had his blade pressed against his neck. “Scream and I will make sure your lover’s death will be painful and slow. A prince butchered like a commoner’s pig,”_

_Keiji stood there, frozen. Feelings of betrayal clouded his mind from thinking straight but only one thing came through his mind as he felt the painful grip of his **friend** tighten around his wrists._

_“What do you think Tetsurou will say about you?” Keiji felt Kenma’s breathing hitched. The feeling of fear and doubts slowly disappearing, like seafoam on the seashore as he felt this fearsome assassin that he was warned about tremble behind him. “Kenma, I know you don’t want to do this…” Keiji begins, gulping slowly. “K-keep your mouth shut,” Kenma stammers._

_“Tetsurou loves you, don’t disappoint him now,”_

“Because his lover was the Star?” Kenma adds, Kuroo nods in response. “The version is different but it surely has a connection,”

“Until now I still can’t believe Daishou was the one who told you all about that,” Bokuto chuckles, as he sets his own chopsticks down, burping in satisfaction.

Kenma couldn’t help but notice something different with Akaashi, he waves his hands in front of him. Akaashi has his sights forward like he’s gazing from a distance, unfazed by Kenma’s hands. He wasn’t unblinking but something about his expression was making the others self-conscious.

“Akaashi? Are you ok? Why are you looking at us like that?” Akaashi blinks, being snapped out from his headspace. Confused, he shakes his head and raises an eyebrow. “Like what?”

“You look… disgusted,” Bokuto describes in a casual tone, taking Akaashi aback. “I am? I didn’t mean to,” He apologizes.

“The story is not your type?” Kuroo asks. “No, I liked it. It’s a sad story,” Akaashi explains, “But there’s something wrong with it but I can’t quite put my finger on it,” Akaashi admits.

“Well, this is the first time I heard Kenma’s version. At least a little bit of the story somehow started making sense to me. Kuroo here doesn’t tell me the whole thing,” Bokuto comments. “This is the first time you heard about it, so it’s pretty normal for you to be a little confused about it, because I was,” the owl-head adds.

“Maybe it’s because of how you tell the story,” Kenma points out, facing Kuroo. “Ha? What about you? Yours was too reserved, you should’ve at least put detail to it,” Kuroo remarks.

“I don’t need to, it’s too sad,” Kenma replies, shaking his head. “It is a sad story; why do you think I want a happy ending to it?” Kenma merely shrugs before returning his gaze to his phone.

“I can’t believe that you two are fighting about that. It’s just a legend, written centuries ago. It’s not even part of the Japanese literature,” Bokuto groans, already bored of the conversation as he yawns.

“It’s still literature. There’s an author and everything,” Kuroo says. “Sometimes, I think Daishou only made it up,” Bokuto says, crossing his arms as he leans back to his chair.

“Well, Kenma has a different version…. And it’s from Miyagi, so you know it’s a real one when it has a different version,” Kuroo remarks, earning a skeptical look from Bokuto as he nods slowly. “Um, sure. Hey Kenma!” Bokuto calls, sitting straight on his chair before leaning forward to Kenma who looks up from his phone. “Where did you hear about the Legend?” Bokuto asks.

“My grandma told me, as a bedtime story,” The semi-blonde answers. “Oh, is that so? What about Kuroo then? I’m pretty sure Daishou didn’t tell you as a bedtime story,”

“I’m telling you Bokuto, it’s real,” Kuroo grins, making Bokuto laugh. “I was wondering why you liked it so much and I remembered you’re a sucker for love stories,” As the two banters for the nth time, Kenma looks over at Akaashi who watches the scene before them.

Kenma glances down to see that the other is fiddling with his fingers. Kenma pats his shoulder, catching Akaashi’s attention. “You alright?” Kenma asks. Akaashi smiles softly at him.

“Yeah, just a little out of the mood,” He answers and Kenma nods, “You seemed off, suddenly,” Kenma points out. “I just remembered my sister, that’s all,” Akaashi answers, yet Kenma notices his gaze pointing downwards. It’s clear, the expression Akaashi’s wearing is neither of anxiety or of distress. He was about to say something when the banter between the two third-years got louder.

“Oho! aren’t you a romantic?” Bokuto laughs, tilting his chin up high. “What if I am?”

“You guys…” Akaashi scolds, his lips pursing along with Kenma narrowing his eyes towards their two noisy friends. Akaashi and Kenma turn their heads from side to side, seeing that they caught a few glances of people inside the hospital cafeteria. “It’s 9 in the evening,” Kenma mumbles but it didn’t stop the two.

“Yet it’s still a mystery why you never had a girlfriend before,” Bokuto shots back with a chortle. Kuroo smacks him for his loud mouth.

Akaashi and Kenma’s eyes widen in surprise, catching them off-guard. Both turn to Kuroo whose face was already flushed red. Akaashi couldn’t help but suppress a titter, instead, he whispered, audible enough for the four of them to hear. “For real?” Akaashi asks, looking amused, which almost riles the grey-head up.

“OI! I had girlfriends before, in Osaka and here in Tokyo,” Kuroo defends, looking back and forth at Akaashi and Bokuto. “Yeah, but you’re still single,” Bokuto cackles, pointing at him.

“What about you then? You’re single, too.” Kuroo points back at Bokuto. “I-, I’m almost there! I still haven’t asked Aka-,” Bokuto stops abruptly, realizing what he was about to say.

“Um….”

Just like that, the table suddenly became silent, with Kuroo suppressing a laugh this time, looking at his friend who almost spilled the beans and Bokuto with his tensing body as Akaashi looks in his direction in confusion. Kenma, somehow, couldn’t get used to the silence that suddenly fell between the four of them, so he looks up from his phone and his sudden movement catches Bokuto’s eye. The third-year beams at the semi-blonde.

“What about you Kenma!? We hardly know anything about your love life,” Bokuto exclaims, startling the poor semi-blonde, completely redirecting the attention to him. “What?” Kenma points to himself, cringing at the sudden attention.

“You’re right, Kenma doesn’t tell me anything,” Akaashi admits, facing Kenma with a small smirk forming at the corner of his lips. “Because there’s nothing to tell,” Kenma replies, shaking his head.

“Have you ever been in any romantic relationship, Kenma?” Bokuto asks, leaning forward. “Uh… no,”

“What about crushes then?” Bokuto asks once again, making the semi-blonde cringe. “Um,”

“I bet it’s that Shoyo fellow you always talk about,” Kuroo snickers, resting his chin onto his palms as he watches the other one’s reaction. From this sentence, Kenma stops moving his mouth and fiddles with his fingers, earning a gasp from the troublesome raven-head. It’s hard to tell if he’s being genuine with the reaction or if he’s simply being sarcastic, not one of them can tell at the moment since the rest gasped as well.

“Wait, it’s actually him?” Kuroo asks. “Your childhood friend?” Akaashi asks, encouraging the semi-blonde to answer with a nod.

“I did… have a small crush on him once,” Kenma admits scratching his cheeks, in hopes to stop them from pestering him with questions like these. “Oh,” Kuroo simply replies, and smirks, “What about now?” the raven-head adds, earning a sigh from the semi-blonde.

“I… it’s nothing,” Kenma finishes, turning his gaze back on his phone with pure intentions to ignore them after this.

“What about from Nohebi?” Bokuto asks. The question made the raven-head flinch unnoticeably, being reminded of a thought from moments ago.

“No one. Just Shoyo,” Kenma simply answers before tapping on his phone. As Bokuto finally catches the hint that his junior has enough, he turns to his other junior with a bright look in his eyes.

“Akaashi, did you have any crushes back when you were in the US?”

“There were a few,” Akaashi answers, drinking from his glass of water. “Tell me all about it,”

The night continued on between the four friends, exchanging stories but a certain feeling was going through inside two certain people at that time. Lingering thoughts that somehow awakened something from their memory that now their mind is desperate to find answers for. Bokuto would continue telling stories, asking questions while Kenma kept his sights on his phone. Akaashi still has his mind filled with the safety of his sister but as for Kuroo…

He was already planning to let out something heavy in his chest as it had been eating up inside him once he heard Bokuto say those words.

***

“Hey, I didn’t know you used to be a Nohebi student,” Kuroo mentions, filling the silence between them as the cicadas sing and the faint sound of the river flows throughout the neighborhood. It was really late for the two to go home but the Akaashi couple were kind enough to pay for their cab to their neighborhood. They talked about a lot of things that night, keeping negativity at bay. Kenma slumps forward, wondering why this topic still keeps coming back to him.

“Just like what you told me before, once I put something behind me, it stays there,” Kenma mimics with a sigh. “I didn’t think your friend used to be my senior or anything. I didn’t care a little about Nohebi, really. I don’t like talking about it,” He adds, scratching his arms.

“Did you… ever talk to him or approach him?” Kuroo asks suddenly before adding. “Daishou, I mean,”

“I never approached anyone,” Kenma answers, gazing at Kuroo who only nodded while rubbing his chin. “Right…”

The two stayed silent once again but Kenma can hear something ticking inside Kuroo’s mind. As they both walked side by side on the way home, Kenma can’t help but feel that there’s something off in the atmosphere at the moment. They should at least feel a little relieved, considering Akaashi’s alright now, they had dinner and nothing bad in particular really happened unless it’s about… Kenma stops from that thought and looks up to Kuroo, noticing his furrowing eyebrows and clenching jaw.

“Kuro,” the semi-blonde calls and Kuroo tilts his head down to meet Kenma’s gaze, softening his expression as he does so. “Do… Do you really believe that I’m the Star?” Kenma asks, stammering. “Well… I do,” Kuroo answers, returning his gaze forward.

“I-,” Kenma was about to answer but Kuroo interrupted him suddenly. “And it’s funny,” With Kuroo’s voice shifting into a stern one, Kenma felt goosebumps all over his arms. “What’s funny?” Kenma reluctantly asks, rubbing his sleeved arms.

“How incredibly close he was to finding you, and yet… he gave up before it even happened,” Kuroo answers, looking at Kenma with an expression he has never worn before. The intensity in his gaze makes the semi-blonde uncomfortable somehow, and the tone of his voice makes him feel like he’s not in a familiar place anymore.

“And then suddenly a freaking force of the universe decided that I should be the one who meets you first. I-,”

“Kuro?” There was a sternness in the voice of the raven-head, Kenma can hear it clearly, but because of that unintended interruption, Kuroo softens. The raven-head clenches his fist instead, gritting his teeth before letting out a deep sigh.

_“If you weren’t the Prince’s guard and I was not an assassin of the Lynx Organization… maybe this could really work. But then again, it makes me wonder why I feel like I couldn’t live without you when I think about fulfilling my objective to eliminate you,”_

Kenma blinks, watching how distressed Kuroo is at the sight of his flaring nose and clenching jaw.

“I’m just a little confused at how the world works, you know? The first time, we worked really hard and sacrificed a lot just to find you and you were… right under our noses. I sometimes don’t understand,” Kuroo stops walking, Kenma stops too, and watches how his friend’s expression shifts again, and this time, it wasn’t making Kenma uneasy… it was rather painful.

“I don’t know if it should mean to lose a friend to finally get what we both worked for…who am I kidding? Of course, Sugu-kun doesn’t care anymore. But you’re here now,” Kenma winces at those words.

There was a small pause between them. Kenma doesn’t know what to say at the moment while he scratches his palms thinking about it. ‘Just because I’m the Star…?’ The semi-blonde would open his mouth now and then but would close it immediately in consideration of how unsure he was about what he should say.

“Don’t think about it too much, it’s in the past anyway,” Kuroo sighs gazing at the view of the riverbank to their side, tucking both of his hands to his pockets. Kenma purses his lips before gulping down his nervousness. “What if you found me sooner?”

“Hu-,”

“Then both of you could still be friends today… if only I could have been more open before then none of this would have happened,” Kenma says, flashes of memories back when he was still in Nohebi came rushing into his mind. Those wasted opportunities, those potential friends he could’ve made when he could’ve been just a little confident, and of course those chances where he could’ve opened his mouth when his old volleyball team was discussing strategies. ‘What if I did open my mouth that time? Then I could’ve at least got Daishou-san’s attention… no, I hated their attention…

But…

Kuroo and Daishou weren't friends at that point anymore,’

Kuroo flinches at his words and immediately turns to him.

“Hey, what are you saying? Don’t mean it like that, of course, you wouldn’t know. Who knew this would happen?” Kuroo replies, waving it off. Kenma opens his mouth, unsure once again, looking down.

“But if fate is really a weird thing then there should be a reason why I found you a little too late,” Kuroo adds instead taking in the cold breeze of the night as silence takes over.

Kenma looks up to Kuroo, watching him ground himself as he takes another deep breath. The semi-blonde never realized how close he is to his senpai. He looks down to his eye level, seeing Kuroo’s still in his practice t-shirt, he tugs it to get the raven-head’s attention.

“I’m sorry,” This was all Kenma could say at the moment, not making eye-contact. “Don’t be, it’s not your fault,” Kuroo shakes his head, before beckoning Kenma to continue walking. Kenma follows a little step behind.

“Daishou-san must’ve been a great friend,” Kenma speaks up, breaking the silence.

“He was…” Kuroo chuckles, recalling a fond memory of him and his old friend.

“Can you tell me all about him?’ Kenma asks. Kuroo smiles warmly at him, taking a deep breath before beginning.

‘Once it’s in the past, it stays there,’ Kenma recalls Kuroo’s words at that one night yet it was still evident in how Kuroo talk about his old friends and their adventures to find the Star together that he greatly admired, respected him and cherished those moments with them… especially with Daishou.

As Kuroo describes those memories in detail, Kenma could imagine Kuroo and Daishou bantering at a small diner with bags filled with documents and laptops as they travel around Tokyo to find evidence. Then Mika would arrive out of nowhere with lattes on her hand and she would ask what progress they made. Kenma chuckles at imagining Kuroo acting exaggeratedly disgusted watching his close friends get all sweet and romantic in front of him. Kuroo chuckles as well, recalling that memory.

At last, the tension in the atmosphere turned into something light and nostalgic. Kenma stares at Kuroo’s moistening eyes… there it is again, the weird butterflies… but the semi-blonde ignores it this time.

Kenma and Kuroo walk side by side in the quiet night under the full moon. Kuroo glances at Kenma who has his gaze forward and mumbles, suddenly.

“Why does it have to be you?”

Kenma hums, looking up to Kuroo who was already looking up at the bright night sky. “I don’t know. You don’t want it to be me?” Kenma asks, Kuroo sighs once again.

“I see you everyday… and sometimes at the back of my head, whenever I look at you, I think about what could have been if we did find you sooner,” The raven-head answers. “It could have been alright,” Kenma answers.

The image of Kuroo’s old trio came through his mind. An image of them still coming across each other at the train station with a smile on their faces while they catch up until it's time they have to get off at their stops. Kenma smiles slightly at that thought, but then again… it’s not possible, or is that really the case?

Kuroo scratches the back of his head as silence fills the conversation.

“I’m sorry if I took out this pent up frustration on you. You’re the Star and…” Kuroo apologizes and stops in his tracks before facing the other. “For the record, I am not seeing you like a worshipped entity or a target or some sort of trophy. I just see you as you, Kenma,”

“You don’t have to remind me every time we talk about this. You already told me that a million times now,” Kenma reminds, pouting at him while giving a light smack to the raven-head’s arm. Kuroo recoils in a joking exaggeration. “Right, sorry, sorry,” Kuroo chuckles, before speaking once again.

“You know, you’re a really great friend too, and a great listener,” The raven-head smiles. Kenma flinches at the sight of this.

_Butterflies. Fireworks… what the hell?_ Like suddenly being interrupted by the fireworks show as you’re still finding a good spot to sit in a crowded park. A feeling that catches you off-guard, like an arrow hitting you out of nowhere.

“You, too,” Kenma merely answers, not realizing he stuttered with his words as they continue walking into the quiet night. Kuroo beams suddenly at the memory and pats Kenma’s shoulder.

“OH! Don’t be afraid to ask me for some love advice if you’re struggling to capture Shoyo’s heart,” The third-year chimes, catching Kenma off-guard. “What the hell are you talking about?” Kenma, genuinely confused, leans back.

“You have a crush on him, yes?”

“That was a long time ago,” Kenma stammers, looking away.

“If you ever need any help, you know who to call,” Kuroo smirks, pointing to himself.

“I’m not going to call you,” Kenma shakes his head, parting from the other as they finally arrive at the intersection that separates them.

“But for real though, Shoyo would be blind if he doesn’t accept your feelings,” Kuroo says, turning around to face Kenma as he continues walking backward his way home. Kenma simply glares at him, standing still.

“You’re an amazing person Kenma. Star or not,”

_Ba-dump_

Kenma gulps unknowingly. “Goodnight, Kuro,” Kenma waves, turning his back on him, hearing Kuroo’s snicker.

“Goodnight, Kenma,” Kuroo waves back before spinning around to continue walking forward.

~

“Shoyo?” Kenma answers the sudden phone call from his redhead friend, preparing to listen to another volleyball adventure of his that he tells with a scream. Kenma kept a distance from his ear to the phone, putting it on a loudspeaker instead. “KENMA! WHAT SHOULD I DO-,” (“Shoyo-niisan! You’re too noisy!”) Kenma snickers, hearing little Natsu in the background.

“What should I do Kenma?” Shoyo repeats in an even quieter tone. “I feel weird around Kageyama!” Shoyo replies, and these exact words made Kenma’s eyes widen.

“You feel weird? What kind of weird?” Kenma asks, sitting down on his bed. “There are fireworks and butterflies… or maybe just plain flies,” Shoyo answers.

“I’m no doctor Shoyo,” Kenma deadpans.

“Kenma!!! I asked my senior, and he said it could mean something…. ROMANTIC,” Kenma hums in surprise, amused at what he just heard after recalling a certain memory of his childhood friend about a certain Kageyama.

“Romantic? Why? You have a crush on him?” Kenma says, in a teasing manner through the line, rolling to his side to close the lamps to his side.

“I don’t know! It’s starting to make sense after that answer,” Shoyo replies. Kenma can hear him pacing back and forth on the other side of the phone. “But I want to hear what you have to say about it since you’re my best friend and I trust your judgment and you’re smart,” Kenma sighs, standing up from his bed to get back on his PlayStation, turning it off.

“Tell me everything then,” Kenma cues, going back to bed.

“Ok…” Shoyo begins, moments after.

As Shoyo gave details second after second, Kenma can’t feel but notice that there are a few similarities that Shoyo and he are experiencing. Shoyo says something about wanting to be near that person always, and how he feels really happy when he’s with that person… if it’s not happiness, he would simply feel as if that person is the most comfortable person to be with. A person that makes him feel like something’s tingling in his stomach, and something warm in his cheeks, there could only be one explanation for that. Kenma compares it to his case…

Those times when he’d feel as if something’s flying inside his stomach, whenever Kuroo says something unpredictable, he would feel his cheeks heat up and hear his heart race. He is comfortable around Kuroo like they’ve known each other for a long time now.

He remembered the first time he knew about his first name… He remembered _fireworks_ …

_Oh…_

“Shoyo, I think you’re in love,” Kenma answered in a flat tone, still on his bed while facing the ceiling with his eyes wide open.

“REALLY?!” Shoyo yells on the other side of the line, hearing Natsu complain once again afterwards. “I think so,” Kenma replies, his voice almost dead. “That’s all I need to hear, thanks for listening!”

“Talk to you later,” Kenma says before ending the phone with no hesitation.

Kenma closed his phone, facing the ceiling, now thinking about the fact if he’s actually talking about his friend or about himself. He sighs, realizing how tensed he was on the sheets, he sinks on the cushion of his bed.

_‘He’s just my senpai’ my ass._ Kenma slaps both of his hands to his faces, and groans on it. ‘It couldn’t be… don’t jump into conclusions,’ he reminds himself and repeats the chant in his head again. But Kuroo’s smile came into view, making him shake his head frantically.

_Impossible!_ ‘He’s just a good senpai… a good friend…

A great listener,’ He thought to himself, recalling all those times Kuroo would suddenly open up a random topic they would talk about until they both parted at the intersection.

Kenma looks back to how devastated Kuroo still is about losing his once best friend. Kenma felt his chest clench upon reminding himself, and he clutches his shirt to feel his pounding heart. It was… rather painful hearing it, well, for him since he could’ve done something in the past to prevent this from happening. Kenma tosses and turns on his bed, still trying to find that comfortable sleeping position.

‘We’re up against Nohebi tomorrow,’ He reminds himself. This means he’ll see his old teammates and _Daishou Suguru_ himself. Kenma perks up and sit up on his bed upon stumbling on a realization.

“What if I tell Daishou about the Star and maybe the two of them will talk again,” He mutters. Yes! It could be possible. Kenma flops down back on his bed with a grin plastered on his face. They would at least be reunited, finally. _And he’ll believe again._

‘Kuroo won’t be thinking about what could have been anymore when he looks at me,’

Kenma doesn’t need to look forward to seeing Nohebi just to be reminded of his horrid past there. As Kenma drifts into sleep, he sighs in content as he finally finds the right motivation to look forward to the match: Kuroo.

*** 

Akaashi sat on the chair besides where his sister lies, waiting for her to wake up. “She’ll recover in no time, she’s a strong one,” He remembers the doctor’s words really well. Akaashi watches his sister as he rests his chin on his palms, with so many things running in his mind at the moment. He took the day off from school only for today so he can look after Kaori.

He briefly remembers the people that were with him last night. Akaashi smiles, realizing how good the company he has found in this place he once called home. A blessing, he recalls, his late grandparents would say if they were still here now.

Akaashi looks outside the window to watch the birds pass by. He sighs, running his fingers through his hair before resting his forehead on the sheets of Kaori’s bed.

_“Yamaneko is simply continuing his assassinations just to seek his lover and find them once more since he lost them to another hunter, or something” “Because his lover was the Star?” Kuroo nods._

Akaashi can’t help but let the gurgling feeling at the pit of his stomach take over, as he listened to a story that was written centuries ago that night. A Legend written by an author long ago, told by his friends who hold two different stories.

600 years is a long time, stories change, versions are made…some are part of history, some are lost. Akaashi sighs once again.

_I can’t believe how much they changed the story._

Somewhere in the borders of Kyoto

One life is all it takes… but whose life should it be? The Great Elder stands before a lake as he raises a small knife. He touches the blade, admiring its beauty before resting it on his palms, slowly pressing it hard, until blood draws from it. He hisses before retreating the blade…

_“Great Elder, I found one part of the lost information we need in the Archives,”_ He recalls Suguru's trembling voice that night.

With that information, it should be easy to find the Star now…

Time flows like a braided cord, the past, the present, and the future are the threads that make the chord. Unraveling, braided together, coming together in harmony to create a smooth flow. But when something tampers with the flow, it breaks, or it will not come together in harmony anymore, slowly destroying it.

The Star being created is indeed a fault in the universe since the gods let humans create inevitable chaos and destruction with the power they let these _weak-minded creatures_ realize. ‘I should know, since I’ve been standing on earth for almost 1300 years, watching them murder each other for power…’

A wish for a life to live this long with invulnerability shouldn’t have been possible but the power of the Star is too great. He chuckles, watching the blood trickle down as his wound didn’t heal right away as it did before. “The second chance did work…” he mumbles before gazing up to the painted walls of an old oriental building.

_“I will make another wish that will allow you to rest again but it won’t be granted until the first one is fulfilled,”_ He can still remember Yamaneko’s exact words when he gazes down at the grave of his beloved.

The Legend was made to become a guide. The great elder closes his eyes, taking a deep breath. ‘After 600 years, it’s such a pain for a body to be preserved that long…,’

“Damn you, Yamaneko Kenma… is it necessary to make me wait that long? Just for your love story to continue?” The great elder gazes up to the painting of the same familiar boy that he found at the gates of their house, looking back at him with dead eyes. He scoffs.

“Are we going to be stuck in this loop your selfishness made?”

~

Bokuto suddenly felt chills run down his spine, he looked outside his window and felt like something didn't feel right. He shrugs it off after sending Akaashi a message, fidgeting giddily before putting his phone down.

**END OF CHAPTER 10**

_"What do you think will happen in the future?"_

_Tetsurou hums, facing Kenma. "As long as the four of us stay together, we'll be alright," He replies, turning his gaze back on the sunset. Tetsurou huffs an air. "The sunset always reminds me of Keiji's eyes,"_

_Kenma didn't respond, simply because he has his gaze locked on the sinking sun. Both of them stand side-by-side with their swords on the ground._

_"Hey, Kenma,"_

_  
"Yes, Tetsurou?"_

"Don't ever leave again, alright?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so Akaashi finally learns about the Legend and Bokuto actually knows about it and Kuroo misses his old friend and Kenma... my gosh Kenma... your feelings. 
> 
> What's gonna happen in the Nohebi practice match? WHat's gonna happen when Daishou sees Kenma, his old junior, once again? What's gonna happen with Akaashi, Bokuto, EVERYONE? Find out in the next chapter and the next chapter after that, haha.
> 
> What do you guys think about the story so far? Don't be shy! Tell me everything. :3
> 
> Anyways! Thank you for taking your time to read the notes! Y'all awesome!
> 
> See you in the next chapter!


	11. Not normal anymore

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kenma experienced the worse flashback that made him think if these recurring flashes are still normal or not anymore.
> 
> *** 
> 
> The Great Elder finally opens up to his descendants, giving answers to the questions Suguru had in this whole ordeal.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAAAHHHHHH, were you waiting for this chapter release? it's finally here!
> 
> There's a lot going on, so it took me so long to write this (well, it's because there's no kuroken content since this chapter is written for the plot)
> 
> I'm almost finished with the first part of the fic, I hope you guys like the chapter.

Bokuto takes a sip from his water bottle, his eyes darting at the entrance of the gym, waiting for a certain pudding head to come inside. “Bokuto! Where’s Kenma?” Konoha asks, passing a ball to their captain. Bokuto catches it, but he is too preoccupied, he recoils.

“He said that he’ll be here later than usual,” Bokuto answers, dribbling the ball, his attention now locked on it. Konoha raises an eyebrow at his friend’s manner. Konoha bends down, looking at Bokuto’s eyes, seeing that this usually energetic grey-head seems to have something in his mind. Konoha hums.

He rarely thinks about something outside of volleyball unless it’s something nonsensical, but as Konoha watches his friend dribble the ball, he knows there’s something rather serious that’s going through their ace’s mind.

And he knows exactly what it could be about.

“So… you’ll see Daishou again?” Konoha asks, Bokuto flinches suddenly, halting before facing Konoha with an expression he rarely wears. “Yeah, I can’t wait to beat the shit out of that bastard,” Bokuto replies, before passing the ball to Konoha with strength comparable to his spikes. This startles Konoha, witnessing this rare demeanor before his eyes that only one person can trigger.

“Be careful, Bokuto. You don’t want the both of you to end up in the hospital again,” Konoha warns, Bokuto scoffs. “No, I meant volleyball. That part was over a long time ago,” The owl-head says, his hands up in reassurance.

Ah, yes…

Bokuto turns around before heading to the entrance of the gym, probably waiting for Kenma. Konoha sighs, recalling that memory when they were still in their first year.

Students from another school built a friendship with a firm foundation… but one from this very school felt left out, as he claimed, but when the strong friendship broke, it also broke one of them. Bokuto was the only one there for that broken boy, and whoever broke him, can only make this certain owl-head’s blood boil.

Since something as precious as friendship isn’t something to be broken for no reason.

‘No…’ Konoha says to himself, watching Bokuto stare into space. That’s right, that part of his past was already over a long time ago…

But somehow, with Bokuto’s eyes moistening, and eyebrow twitching, Konoha can’t help but think that the only reason behind this could be about that one past in Bokuto’s life that he was told about. There could be something else, after all… Bokuto already made peace with the past, Konoha says to himself.

Yet again, seeing that his friend has his gaze locked on the sky with his fingers intertwined with each other.

It’s no doubt that something’s bothering him.

~

Inside the warm cramped space of the faculty room, Kenma stands before his homeroom teacher who is tapping on her laptop. The semi-blonde waits patiently, wondering to himself why he was called after classes. He should prepare for the practice match, but he’s doing his best, trying to stay still, keeping himself from tapping on his feet.

“Kozume, you are part of the volleyball team, yes?” His teacher suddenly asked, turning around on her swivel chair to face her student. Kenma stills, nodding in response. The sound of the printer overlaps with his almost inaudible voice.

“Yes, miss” Kenma answers. His teacher sighs as she turns briefly to the printer to take the paper that came out of it. She adjusts her glasses before clearing her throat while her gaze is focused on what’s written on the paper.

“I noticed a drop in your grades and let me remind you that your grades will be affected if you focus too much on extracurricular activities. Yes, we are a powerhouse school in volleyball but it doesn’t exempt you from studying, here in this private institution,”

And with those words, Kenma felt his stomach drop. ‘What… I’ve been failing my class?’ He thought to himself, recalling all those nights where he played games instead of doing his homework. Kenma scratches the back of his head before bowing politely.

“I will do my best next time,” He simply answers, and his teacher sighs, handing the paper to him.

“I’m looking forward to your improvement. Don’t let this get too serious, or I’m going to have to call your parents for a meeting,” She mentions. Kenma looks at the paper and visibly frowns.

“That is all. Good luck in your practice match,” His teacher says before turning to her laptop.

“Thank you, miss,” Kenma bows before heading outside the faculty room.

Kenma lets out a breath of relief, finally out of that tense atmosphere. He looks at his paper and notices that his grades are where they’re not supposed to be: below the passing grade. Kenma sighs once again, pinching the bridge of his nose. He can already hear his mother disciplining him at the back of his head. And that his parents are close to coming home sends shivers down his spine.

‘How the hell am I going to fix this for a few days?’ Kenma thought to himself.

His phone vibrated suddenly, all his attention went towards his phone as he dug into his pocket to see what the notification was. His heart suddenly leaps at the sight of a familiar number, he opens it and his chest thumps even more as he reads what they wrote in the message.

“Kuro?” The semi-blonde mutters to himself, reading the message.

_‘There’s a cat that looks like you by the window,’ w/ attachment_

Kenma looks at the photo and thinks… ‘Of all the things he could say to me, it had to be about a cat that looks like me,’

Now that Kenma thinks about it, this is literally the first time Kuroo ever messages him directly.

He felt his cheeks warm up suddenly. Kenma taps on his phone to reply.

“Go back to your class,”

The sound of the bell rang, reminding him of the practice match he’s supposed to prepare for.

_‘It’s study period, so HI!’_ Kuroo replies.

Kenma takes a deep breath before typing back on his phone. “It’s club period, so BYE!” He replies, and not moments after, Kuroo replies immediately.

_‘Aww,’_

Kenma leaves the message on read before tucking his phone back into his pocket. Usually, he has his eyes on his phone on the way to the gym, but this moment is an exception. Why? Well, that’s because…

Kuroo Tetsurou just sent him a message first, and Kenma’s chest feels like something’s about to burst.

~

Kenma hears the faint sound of balls being passed and spiked, echoing inside the gym. Kenma heads towards their club room, only to see that he’s all alone. He changes into his practice clothes. His hands were slightly trembling. Upon noticing this, he grimaced at himself.

“Calm down,” He mumbles to himself. The door opens suddenly, causing Kenma to spin in alarm, but calms down after seeing that it was only Sarukui, who is relieved to see Kenma has finally arrived.

“Oh, Kenma! You’re here. The practice match is about to start soon, we’ll just wait for the rest of the first years,” He exclaims before heading to his own locker to get a few things. The semi-blonde simply nods, fixing his shirt before closing his locker.

“Um… Sure,” He replies in a rather expressive tone, taking his teammate off-guard upon hearing this.

“Is something wrong?” Sarukui asks, leaning from his locker to face Kenma. The semi-blonde shakes his head. “Nothing, it’s just a little cold,” Kenma excuses, taking his phone with him.

“Summer’s almost here, you don’t have to worry about that,” Sarukui replies, closing his locker before waiting for Kenma to head outside the room and closing the door behind them.

“Nohebi… they’ve arrived?” Kenma asks as they walk back to the gym.

“Yeah, just now actually,” Saurkui answers. At this reply, Kenma visibly frowns, his eyebrows furrowed, expressing his discomfort at the fact that they’ll be playing a match against the team that Kenma actively avoided before. Kenma scratches his arms in an attempt to ease any discomfort. Hopefully, his fidgeting composure would at least calm him down. It’s hard for Sarukui to ignore this behavior, so he opens his mouth.

“You don’t have to worry about them, make your grand entrance and show them what you’re capable of,” he gives his junior a grin and pats Kenma’s back with little aggression, perfect for Kenma’s nerves to calm down.

“Make them regret not having you in their team,” Sarukui adds.

“I guess,” Kenma answers, almost turning into a mumble. “You should be a little more confident, Kenma! We got your back,” His senior reassures once again.

_“You should be a little more confident, Kenma,” Kuroo exclaims._

Kenma feels his mouth twitch but faces away before a smile could even form for Sarukui to see.

“Thanks for that,” Kenma answers, and the two of them make their way inside the gym to see that the other half of the gym was packed. Kenma’s eyes narrowed at the view.

‘Nohebi,’ he thought before taking a deep breath.

His eyes immediately darted to the other team, looking at every one of them just to find the one he’s looking for. After all, his goal for this day is to attempt making a certain captain believe again.

Using the knowledge of his existence.

As he thinks about what he’s doing, facing Nohebi has never felt this easy. Kenma doesn’t feel the usual jitters he used to feel whenever he arrives for practice back in Nohebi, nor the pangs in his chest that trigger certain feelings that make him want to flee.

The ‘right motivation’ thought really worked, if Kenma says so himself, and that certain motivation makes him feel emotions, rather stronger than the ones he’s supposed to feel when he sees the group of people that used to make his life a living hell.

Kenma unknowingly smiles at this thought, nibbling his lip as he fixes his things on the bench. But as soon as he heard a familiar voice, his thoughts were interrupted.

“Hey, isn’t that Kozume?” One of the Nohebi players pointed out, literally has his finger pointed towards Kenma. The semi-blonde does his best not to frown too much; he simply returns to fixing his things, but somehow, the only thing that he’s hearing right now are the voices of his old upperclassmen.

“Eh!? Kozume is here in Fukurodani?” One of them exclaims in disbelief. Kenma takes a deep relaxed breath before heading to his own team who are waiting for others to gather around.

‘Just ignore them,’ Kenma chants to his head, taking another deep breath upon arriving in their group. He doesn’t need acknowledgment to know that his teammates are worried about him. Kenma simply stands there, somehow the voice Nohebi echoing in his head, but it wasn’t enough to cloud his mind from thinking straight.

In fact, Kenma admits, this is a vast improvement, considering he used to get… extremely affected by condescendence, to where even hearing their voice would make him gag. The semi-blonde shakes his head lightly, shaking off unwanted thoughts in his head.

“No WAY! _Deadweight_ is part of this club? Unbelievable,” And with that sentence, Kenma winces slightly.

There it is… He felt the awfully familiar pang in his chest. He didn’t realize he was darting his eyes towards the direction of the other team, somehow the feeling spreading from his chest.

‘This wasn’t supposed to happen,’ Kenma thinks, feeling his legs getting a little wobblier as he hears his heartbeat in his head suddenly.

Bokuto pats Kenma, a strong one, enough to make Kenma jump forward from the contact. Kenma yelps from the stinging pain, abruptly turning to his senior to scowl at him, but what catches him off-guard is that he felt… grounded.

“Hey, Kenma, don’t mind them, they’re here to play only a few sets against them and we’re gonna win them all, yeah?” Bokuto says, now slightly patting the affected area (that would’ve left a mark).

“You didn’t have to hit that hard,” Kenma mumbles, almost whining as he reaches his arms to his back, rubbing it soothingly. Bokuto smiles cheekily in apology while scratching the back of his head with his teammates glaring at him as a warning.

“You don’t need to talk to them unless it’s necessary,” Komi says with a smile, reaching up to ruffle Kenma’s head. “Yeah! They can talk all they want, but they’re going to see that you’ve gotten stronger in Fukurodani,” Konoha exclaims and the rest of the team agrees with a nod.

‘I’m not in Nohebi, anymore,’ Kenma reminds himself. There are so many instances where he tells himself these words in his head. When will it end? Who knows, but at least now when Kenma thinks about it, he reassures himself repeatedly that he’s in a different place now… a much better place.

_“An age without hatred and fear… what would it be like to live in a lifetime like that?”_

“Yeah…” Kenma nods, his eyes wide open before feeling the tension going away, then smiles visibly while looking downwards.

At that moment, the entire team blinks after seeing a rare moment happen before their eyes. Konoha leans forward, inspecting Kenma’s face. “Did you just… smile?” He asks, cupping both of his junior’s cheeks, almost squishing it. There was a slight pause before Kenma shifted his facial expression into his more usual ones.

“… No,” Kenma answers in a flat tone, but the team didn’t believe that. “He smiled!” Yukie exclaims from behind Bokuto, walking to Kenma before ruffling his hair. The semi-blonde shakes his face to pry away his senior’s hands, taking a step back.

“Dude! I never saw him smile like that before” Sarukui chuckles, coming in to ruffle Kenma’s hair too but the semi-blonde had enough and gathered all his energy to push away his seniors, trying not to smack them too hard.

“Come on, Kenma! I didn’t realize your cheeks were soft too,” Konoha says, being face-palmed by Kenma’s hands to push him away. “Don’t come near me!” Kenma whines as he backs away, but his worst fears suddenly become true when Bokuto wraps his enormous arms around him, locking him in place.

“He is soft and squishy!” Bokuto exclaims, “Why didn’t I think of doing this before!” The troublesome owl-head adds.

Kenma has a look of terror on his face, shaking his head in horror, squirming in Bokuto’s hold as he shrieks from the unwanted attention while his teammates stalk forward. “If you come near me, I will end all of you!” Kenma exclaims with the loudest voice he can manage.

“He’s still adorable even if he’s spewing threats,” Kaori points out, smiling softly at the scene as she fixes the water bottles in place at the table.

“I changed my mind, back away! He’s my kouhai!” Bokuto yells back, spinning Kenma away from the attention, Kenma’s feet being dragged. “He’s our kouhai too!” Konoha shouts back, trying to grab Kenma, but Bokuto lifts him away from his other teammates. “Please let go of me,” Kenma whines in horror as he couldn’t reach the ground with his feet anymore.

“He’s my best friend!” Bokuto exclaims. “We won’t let you have him! He’s our setter!”

“He sets for me!” Bokuto yells back again, lifting Kenma away from the group. Kenma eyes the rest of his teammates for help, his look of horror plastered on his face, while his torso’s being crushed by this abnormally strong teenager.

“Bokuto, NO!”

Meanwhile, Nohebi simply watches from the other side of the court, seeing Kenma being targeted by his seniors, giddy for their junior. The Nohebi teammates look at each other before shrugging at what they just witnessed.

Like a group of owls pestering a small cat in a field. Well, wouldn’t you want to pet a cat when it meows to you randomly?

*** 

Finally, both teams stand on their court, waiting for the game to start. Kenma stands there, his eyes looking at the other side. His eyes land on a very familiar man, the one he rarely sees, but as soon as he recognizes his features, he can tell. ‘That’s Daishou…’ Kenma says in his head.

‘Somehow, he looks more okay than before,’ He thought to himself as his eyes follow the third-year Nohebi student.

Kenma thinks to himself, this man used to be Kuroo’s best friend.

‘How am I going to break it to him?’ Kenma asks himself. But once again, the same voices came back. He rolls his eyes. “Great… it’s dead weight,” One of Nohebi’s players calls out.

“No way, he’s actually in their lineup! I bet it’s experimental,”

“Yeah!”

Kenma turns his gaze away from the other side of the team. He clicks his tongue as he did his best to ignore their booming voices, well booming voice for Kenma since it’s like it’s all he ever hears inside the wide gym.

“Hey, Kenma!” Bokuto calls for him, giving Kenma another pat that is enough to ground this semi-blonde. Kenma simply flinches forward before turning to scowl at his friend again, but Bokuto already has his arms around the smaller one, pulling him away from the net.

“Hey, let’s go talk about strategies on the other side of the court,” Bokuto suggests while looking back at the other side of the court.

“You know them, right Kenma?” Bokuto asks, Kenma nods in response. “Yeah,” Kenma squints his eyes. “My old teammates,”

“Let’s see what kind of players they are with Daishou leading the team,” Bokuto grins, with determination present in his expression.

Just as Bokuto lets go, Kenma reaches to tug his shirt, catching his attention. “Bokuto?” Kenma calls.

“Yeah?” Bokuto hums.

“Are you still on speaking terms with... Daishou?” Kenma asks, making Bokuto dart his gaze on the other side of the court for a little while.

“Him and me? Well, rarely,” He answers. “Why? Want me to send him a message?”

Kenma shakes his head. “No, I just… want to find out about something,” He admits, Bokuto nods in response.

“Ok, he’s your old senior after all,”

~

The first set comes down to 24-25 with Fukurodani leading. Both teams have their hands on their knees, catching their breaths as they peek to the other side of the court.

Unexpectedly, the game was rather fun. Well… for Kenma.

Kenma can see his opponents’ moves clearly, watching their every movement like a lion stalking its prey. The semi-blonde watches their server, looking closely at his moves before the server throws the ball upward before running then jumping to execute a spike serve. Komi receives the ball perfectly, the ball bounces high enough, much to Kenma’s anticipation, he licks his lips with determination.

“KENMA!” Bokuto yells, his arms waving up high as Kenma positions himself under the ball. Kenma darts his eyes to the opponent, seeing that the Nohebi blockers are already positioning in front of Bokuto. Kenma scoffs, watching the ball fall on his fingertips.

Instead of tossing the ball in Bokuto’s direction, he flicked his wrist, guiding the ball to the other side of the net, catching everyone off-guard.

“SETTER DUMP!” Nohebi yelled, but it was too late.

Nohebi did their best to dive for the ball, but they were a second late. The whole Nohebi team has their eyes wide in surprise, but some of them grit their teeth in annoyance as they watch Kenma from where they dived for the ball.

“Nice one, Kenma!” Bokuto cheers, patting Kenma’s back, and the others do the same.

“He just…” one of Nohebi’s players trails off in disbelief, looking up at Kenma as this player helps himself up. “That bastard,” their middle blocker curses, clicking his tongue as he glares at Kenma.

The semi-blonde turns back to face the other side of the court, only to see that most of the Nohebi team has their eyes locked on him with icy glares that can send shivers down a person’s spine. Kenma flinches at the sight of this, doing his best to remain still and composed.

But Nohebi’s smirks didn’t make it easy for him.

“Hey,” one of them calls, Kenma turns to him. The player smirks, making Kenma suddenly uneasy.

“What does it feel like to trample over your old team, huh?”

Kenma slowly scrunches his forehead, feeling the awful burn in his chest as he looks at his old teammates one by one. Kenma opens his mouth agape but closes them immediately upon realizing that he has nothing to say. The whistle blows for the next rally and each team returns to their position.

As Kenma places himself back in front of the net, shaking his head while taking deep breaths, not only because the first set is tiring enough but because of the persistent, overwhelming feeling of anxiety out of nowhere.

Kenma wanted to concentrate, he needed to concentrate even though Nohebi is 5 points behind them. Kenma looks back at his teammates, who already have their eyes upfront, with Washio in the back to serve, waiting for the whistle. Kenma didn’t notice he was nodding, mirroring the focus of his teammates.

“Washio-san, nice serve!” Kenma yells, in hopes to ease the uneasiness in his stomach.

The player in front of him scoffs, muttering something Kenma feared that he’d hear.

“Traitor,”

And at that moment, Kenma has his eyebrows furrowed, mouth slightly agape, his eyes locked forward but not really looking at a focused detail. He can feel his jaw trembling, by just hearing this mutter that should be inaudible considering the ball is already in play.

The sound of the game became static in Kenma’s head, considering he has his mind elsewhere.

_Kenma grips the hilt of his sword as the sun shines above them. He didn’t tremble, nor hesitate upon doing such acts. The blood of his brothers that stained the blade drips down to his knuckles, but Kenma seemed unbothered by it. He takes a deep breath to drown the uneasy feeling that might crumble his composure._

_‘Have I made a mistake?’ He thought to himself as he looked at his fallen brothers one by one._

_He watches the piles of bodies in front of him and one of them suddenly coughs and spits blood. Kenma flinches, gripping his sword more as he watches the man tilt his head up to meet Kenma’s gaze._

_“Ah, if it isn’t the Great Elder’s favorite adopted child... We should’ve killed you when we had the chance,” he begins, gathering enough strength to spit his last curse._

_“You shamed the honor of the Organization and the Clan. Burn in hell…” The man spits before finishing his last words that will forever wound Kenma’s heart._

_“You filthy traitor,”_

Kenma doubles over suddenly, gagging as he grips his knees to hold himself up, but he feels his knees weak as well. Because of his hair covering his face, no one can see his eyes wide open, disturbed at the image that came into his mind. Emotions washing over him like a violent whirlpool. The semi-blonde bends down, already kneeling as he let the uncomfortable chills run all over his body.

_“I’m sorry… my family,” Kenma mumbles, looking up, avoiding the view of his dead brothers before him, letting the sun hurt his eyes._

“Kenma?” Konoha rushes over to see Kenma already has his hands over his mouth. The Fukurodani team freezes in worry, seeing Kenma in this state, but Nohebi didn’t stop putting the ball in play. Nohebi’s ace attacks, earning the point for their team, but Fukurodani is worried about something else at the moment.

_“Kenma? Kenma!” He hears Keiji’s voice from a distance. Kenma stands there, teary-eyed, now feeling a firm grip on his shoulders._

“Coach!” Bokuto yells immediately and the coach stands up, holding his hands up to signal a time-out. Bokuto pulls Kenma up, noticing that the semi-blonde’s not pulling his own weight, Bokuto furrows his eyebrows in worry.

“Hey, what happened?” The owl-head asks, pulling Kenma’s hair that was covering his face.

This time, Bokuto failed to ease the semi-blonde, not a pat or his booming loud voice were enough to ground him at this point. Kenma shakes his head in somewhat denial of what just flashed in his mind, closing his eyes shut as they pull him to the side, making him sit down.

“What the hell happened?” Coach asks, kneeling in front of their setter as the rest of the team surrounds him in worry, keeping a distance while the two managers already have the water and medicine ready. Yukie holds Kenma’s hair back while Kaori fans him, giving him air after making him take his temperature.

Kenma’s simply taking his time to breathe, opening his eyes wide, the light burning his eyes. He seems to look at a faraway distance, but none of his teammates noticed the look of pure horror on his face.

_“Kenma! Look at me!” Keiji claps both of his hands to Kenma’s cheeks. “I was defenseless, and you were trying to protect me,” Keiji reassures the already falling Kenma. “They were going to kill us, you did your best to keep us alive,”_

_“But I killed the men I grew up with,” Kenma mutters, falling completely on the ground as he struggles to hold himself up with his trembling arms. Keiji could only hold him close… though Kenma didn’t need it. He doesn’t deserve it._

“We don’t know. He suddenly clutched his stomach,” Konoha explains. The coach faces Kenma, “Kenma, are you sick? Why didn’t you tell us?” He asks in worry, and this snaps Kenma out of his headspace but certainly, the overwhelming feeling of uneasiness is still there. He looks at his teammates, who were worried about him.

After another deep breath, Kenma can finally feel his face relax, feeling a slight burn under his eyes.

There was a pause as Kenma took the towel handed to him to wipe the sweat that trickled on the side of his head. _Or was it sweat?_

“I’m not,” Kenma mumbles, drinking from his water while Kaori continues fanning him. “You should be more careful with your health, Kenma,” Yukie says, with worry laced in her voice.

“He seems ok just a while ago,” Komi points out and the others agree.

“Can you still play?” The coach asks, and everybody turns to the semi-blonde.

Kenma opens his mouth…

_“I once called you my brother, but now you’re just a disgusting shit that deserved to go back where it belongs,” the voice of his brother came to his mind…_

“I didn’t mean to…” Kenma mumbles, his jaw trembling suddenly as they notice his eyes glazing from the forming tears. This makes the coach sigh.

“Let’s just take you to the infirmary,”

_“You failed with a lot of objectives… you’re a traitor and a disappointment,” another voice of his brother came to his mind once again…_

_Wait!_

Kenma perks up, remembering his goal for this practice match as he briefly darts his eyes towards the other side of the court. “No, I can still play,” Kenma says, his hand raised to signal that he’s alright, attempting to stand up, but Bokuto pushes him back to sit.

“Don’t you still feel sick?” Bokuto asks, putting his palms to feel Kenma’s forehead. The thermometer beeps and Yukie takes it from Kenma. “No fever,” Yukie announces, and the entire team visibly relaxes, some sighing in relief.

“I’ll feel better after resting,” Kenma claims, facing every one of them. Bokuto looks at their coach with a skeptical look, it’s clear that he’s worried about his friend rather than having their setter train since the tournaments are nearing.

“Alright, don’t push yourself too hard, Kenma. You can worry about academics later. Focus on feeling better first,” The coach says with a relieved sigh, standing up while patting his shoulder. Kenma could only nod, watching the first year substitute his setter position. Bokuto ruffles Kenma’s hair, “Take care of yourself, alright?” he says before the entire team turns back to head to the court.

Kenma sighs, watching his teammates position back on the court. He looks at the other side, seeing that Nohebi has their eyes forward, determined, and focused.

Kenma shakes his head from those… flashes.

It’s obvious, those memories are certainly not his, he says to himself in his mind, but a sweet voice interrupted him.

“It’s really stressful to think about academics, don’t keep it to yourself or you’ll get migraines,” Kaori advises. “Yeah, migraines are the worst,” Yukie agrees, sitting beside Kenma.

And as for Kenma, he simply hums as a response just to be polite. His mind only comprised the goal he wanted to achieve for this day.

‘This could be a great time to focus on thinking about a plan,’ Kenma thinks, watching the game. Usually, he would watch the game, analyzing it. Instead, he thinks about how he will approach Daishou to talk to him about Kuroo, hopefully.

_“Traitor,”_

However, because of that happening, Kenma isn’t sure about that now.

Kenma covers his face with a towel as he feels another burn in his cheeks. Something inside him wants to cry out, it’s at the back of his head that’s out of control and the only thing that is grounding him at the moment is the towel that is absorbing the tears that are flowing from his eyes.

‘Tears?’ Yes, tears… Kenma didn’t even realize he was crying. He hiccups a sob suddenly, but the towel successfully covers it, along with the noise of the game. Kenma doesn’t know if he could still go on with the plan he giddily made the night before this match.

Kuroo’s frustrated expression came to his mind, followed by his gentle smile as they parted to go home… somehow, that night felt like it happened a long time ago…

Kenma clenches his chest, trying to compose himself, feeling a small glint of disappointment to himself. ‘I’m sorry, Kuro…’

The semi-blonde wipes his tear-stained face as he recalls those mixed emotions he felt at that moment at the court.

Those mixed emotions? It was the heaviest one he had ever felt in his chest in a long time. That feeling rivals the one he had back in his last day in Miyagi.

_“Don’t worry, love… In the next life, there will be no secrets, no trickery, no masks. It will be just me with all my heart. I will love you all over again…”_

Kenma shakes his head in denial. A vivid memory of a dream that he had months ago… and this flash that burned entirely in his mind.

‘Does it have something to do with _me being the star?_ ’ Kenma takes out his phone, seeing his reflection on the screen briefly.

The Star is not a normal thing… and so have become these flashes.

*** 

The practice match ended sooner than expected, Kenma got back on the half of the second set and took the entire game by doing his best to look well to observe his opponents. But after winning the third set, Nohebi was called to go back sooner than they should be. Both teams clean up as the sun slowly sinks, the sky glowing in bright orange.

Kenma was told to go home early, but as he stayed, watching his teammates and the other team, he knew he still needed to do something.

‘The plan?’ Kenma asks himself, but when he imagines himself walking near the team, he feels that the same thing would happen again. He turns away from the direction of the other team.

“Oi, Kozume,” A Nohebi player calls, Kenma freezes, but he faces him anyway, his face as neutral as he can manage.

“What is it?” Kenma asks in a polite tone but somehow comes out as flat upon seeing that they are in a small group, eyeing him with their arms crossed or their hands on their hips.

“You never opened up before and it’s a shame that you only showed your skills once you’ve become an opponent,” One of them says. “You could’ve been useful in the team,” He adds.

‘I wonder whose fault is that,’ Kenma says in his head, recalling those times in practice back when he was still in Nohebi.

Kenma visibly grimaces but as he turns away, he sees Bokuto walking in their direction. Kenma halt suddenly. He sees Bokuto with an unfamiliar look in his eyes, making the semi-blonde nervous about what his senior is about to do.

“I bet he’s just getting revenge or something,” They sneered, “Him and that setter dump. I’m pretty sure he’s showing off,” they say, snickering to each other, but stops as soon as they see Bokuto facing them with his arms crossed.

Bokuto grabs Kenma’s wrist, pulling him back in front of the group. Kenma felt uneasy suddenly, considering his senior’s nose was flaring. Bokuto placed Kenma to his side, before facing the three players with a glare.

“Back off,” Bokuto growls, making the three players shrink.

“Bokuto-san,” Kenma calls, tugging Bokuto’s shirt to catch his attention hopefully, but was unsuccessful.

“He’s Fukurodani’s setter now, so I suggest you save your breath unless you’re worthy enough to speak to him,” Bokuto points to Kenma, his composure firm and proud as he is whenever he shows Kenma off to people.

“Bokuto-san,” Kenma calls again, tapping his shoulder.

“I’ve heard a lot about the Nohebi team. And because of that, I can’t wait to crush you in the tournaments, 2-0 in a landslide, if you’re strong enough to face us in an official match,” Bokuto remarks, leaning forward.

“Call him dead weight again, or do I have to make it clear to you, we beat you in all the sets we played today because of him?” Bokuto’s voice became gradually louder, making Kenma shrink as well.

The three players were about to say something when someone interrupted the commotion suddenly. Kenma turns to where the voice came from and his chest leaps suddenly upon realizing who it was.

“What’s going on here?” Daishou calls out to his three teammates.

“Daishou!” They exclaim in surprise, their eyes wide.

“You guys, how many times do I have to tell you to stay within the group,” Daishou sighs, walking near his teammates. The three bow in apology before scurrying in a hurry towards their group, glancing back.

Bokuto clicks his tongue, Kenma turns to his senior to see him scowling already.

“I’m sorry about that. The-,” Daishou begins but pauses upon realizing who he was speaking with.

He smiles, slyly.

“Bokuto,” Daishou acknowledges with a bow.

“Daishou,” Bokuto does the same.

Kenma looks back and forth to the two third-years, feeling the need to get out of their atmosphere. But something in him was making him stand in place, his eyes locking on the scene. _The plan? No… it’s something else._

“It’s been a while,” Daishou mentions, crossing his arms.

“How have you been?” Bokuto asks, in a flat tone.

“I’ve been fine. Great, even,” Daihsou says, scoffing. “How’s Kuroo?”

“Like you care shit,” Bokuto raises an eyebrow. “He’s doing exactly what you told him, ‘Leaving it behind,’,” Bokuto answers.

Daishou simply nods, “I see,” was all he can answer at the moment, turning his gaze away before realizing that they’re not the only ones in the conversation at the moment. Daishou turns to Kenma, bending a little down to meet him eye-to-eye.

“What about you? Kozume-kun… right?” Daishou mentions, making Bokuto squint his eyes towards him while Kenma simply looks back at the third-year Nohebi.

“How’s Fukurodani treating you lately?” Daishou asks.

Kenma was about to answer, but Bokuto already did it for him. “Better than your team ever did,” Bokuto almost growls. Daishou fixes his posture.

“It’s nice to hear that my old junior isn’t being a burden in your team,”

Bokuto grits his teeth. Kenma grabs his senior’s wrist to keep him from lunging forward.

“Hey, watch your mouth. Nohebi lost a great deal and potential because of your selfish asses,” Bokuto scowls. “Kenma is more than what you say he is and we are more than lucky to even have him in our school,”

Daishou stays quiet as Bokuto continues lashing out, Kenma stands awkwardly. The semi-blonde has his eyes directed at Bokuto, but once he turns to the other third year, he sees Daishou has his eyes on him, in a widened shock.

“Maybe it’s just that you don’t recognize talent when you see it. Just like how you didn’t recognize Kuroo’s effort in your friendship that you threw away just because you lost interest in that stupid fairytale,” Bokuto finishes, the silence snapping Daishou out of his pause with a stammer.

“I-,” Daishou looks back at Kenma again, who is confused at the demeanor this third-year Nohebi student was showing him. He takes an unconscious step back, Daishou simply flicks his gaze back to Bokuto with an apologetic bow.

“I apologize for that. He is a rising star of your team since he’s flourishing in a place such as Fukurodani,” Daishou says, smiling politely like his manner was controlled with a switch and this made Bokuto uncomfortable.

“The hell?”

Daishou shakes his head in assurance. “Oh, nothing... it’s also a relief, knowing that Kuroo has found such a good friend,” He adds.

“There used to be a chance, you know, but you threw it away,” Bokuto reminds him, crossing his arms.

“Because… that would defeat the purpose of what I’m trying to do,” Daishou answers, looking back at Kenma again, goosebumps running all over the semi blonde’s body.

“See you soon, Bokuto,” Daishou waves goodbye, turning away immediately.

Bokuto scoffs before turning to his junior, grabbing both of his shoulders, prompting the semi-blonde to look at him.

“Kenma, you’re no dead weight, you got that?” Bokuto reminds him, “Don’t let them tell you otherwise,” The third-year adds.

But Kenma simply looks back toward where Daishou once stood and asked. “What was that about?”

Bokuto sighs, letting go of Kenma’s shoulders before resting both on his hips. “Daishou told Kuroo to end their friendship, but he didn’t tell him enough reasons,” Bokuto looks in the same direction too, before adding.

“He just… left,”

Bokuto pats Kenma’s shoulder before walking away from the spot. Kenma stands there, rather baffled at what just happened. It’s like it went by so fast, but there was certainly something different from what he’s feeling at that moment.

And it’s making Kenma’s skin crawl.

Kenma slumps forward. He did not expect that the practice match would mentally and physically drain him.

*** 

Suguru ran as fast as he could inside their home, up to his bedroom, and slammed the door shut. His room was filled with open books and papers scattered everywhere. Some are pinned on the wall; some are crumpled on the floor. He opens his laptop before typing aggressively on the search bar.

“The archives, the journal… the transcript!” He mutters, opening every file with the digital version of the information he gained from the archives. He frantically checks every file there is, making him lose patience.

“WHERE IS IT!?” He yells, pulling his hair in frustration, almost throwing his things off the table while he continues searching. It didn’t take him long until he found the file he was looking for on his laptop. He scrolled down, looking at each of the highlighted phrases he marked before.

A million things were running to his mind at the moment. A thought of Mika smiling at him sweetly again, being friends with Kuroo like before… this whole ordeal finally going away that would make things go back to normal.

And the eyes… that kid’s eyes.

“There!” Suguru exclaims, finding the information he was looking for, settling on the chair as he highlights the sentence. While reading, he could feel his heart quicken.

_“Eyes gold like the sun in its prime, look well enough you can see constellations and its orbs like the stars that shine in the night,”_

When he looked at Kenma’s eyes, he thought he was hallucinating. His golden eyes glistened, shining like the sun’s last light. If Suguru looked away, then he would’ve missed seeing the sparkling glaze in his orbs. Suguru thought he was dreaming, that he almost held Kenma in place just to look at it closely.

Eyes that sparkle like the stars in the night…

Suguru immediately opened his phone, scrolling through the contacts and briefly pausing at one certain name, _Kuroo_. He skipped his name and contacted a teammate of his to make a confirmation. And it left him speechless.

Suguru saw the stars in an old teammate’s eyes.

And those Stars are what his ancestors have been looking for. Suguru chuckles, running his hands through his hair, feeling his cheeks burn as he stares at the laptop screen with his mind racing at the fact that this Kenma Kozume has been walking the same building as him the year after he lost _everything_.

“I found him,” He mutters… and sniffles after.

“I found the star,” Suguru whispers to himself before resting his head on the table.

Without giving it a second thought, he calls a different person this time.

“I want you to find an address for me,”

*** 

In the main house at its large hall, Suguru paces back and forth with him and his grandmother inside the hall at that moment. His grandmother watches him before sighing.

“Suguru, what’s the matter?” Suguru freezes in his place. He chuckles to himself before facing his grandmother, having to recall the reason he’s slowly unhinging.

“He used to be my schoolmate,” He said, having to pause while collecting a few thoughts. “He used to be part of our volleyball team!” He adds before chuckling. “Why the fuck didn’t notice it before!?” He said, biting his knuckles before groaning in pure frustration.

“HE WAS JUST THERE!”

“Suguru, calm down, son,” His grandmother says in worry, watching her grandchild slowly crumple the paper he’s been holding.

“I lost my girlfriend and my best friend because of this bullshit!” Suguru curses, throwing the paper he’s been holding on the table present. “He was just there, and I didn’t look well enough,” Suguru sits down on the floor in front of his grandmother, slamming his fist on the surface, making his grandmother flinch.

“It’s unfair…” He mutters, his hands covering his face as he tries to settle down, taking deep breaths. His grandmother frowns before reaching forward.

“Things happen for a reason, Suguru,” She says, taking her grandson’s hand and clutching it to hers to ground him somehow.

“Reason being that I wasn’t doing my job right,” He answers, checking the time in his watch from the wrist his grandmother’s holding. He couldn’t wait for the Great Elder anymore.

“Screw permissions,” He mutters before standing up from his seat, hurrying towards the exit of the hall. Emotions swirling around in a spiral. Nothing seems to make sense in his world anymore, that is why the only reason he thought that would solve this is a wish.

It is amazing how wishes are still made, but only made through certain lengths. Lengths such as taking life in exchange for anything your heart desires. Well, Suguru tells himself that his responsibility involving the Wishing Star has something to do with taking someone’s life.

‘It should be fine, it will be done one day anyway,’

“Where are you going?” His grandmother asks, frantic from her grandson’s sudden action.

“I’m eliminating the Star,” Suguru answers before sliding the door open with a force that should be enough to tear the thin papers apart. He uses his sleeves to wipe the falling tears on his cheeks. He could feel his clenching jaw.

‘This should be over after tonight,’ he thinks to himself.

“Wait,” A familiar voice speaks up, making Suguru stop in his tracks and look back to see that his greatest grandfather finally arrived from the other side of the room. Suguru scoffs, watching this man slide the door behind him.

“Great Elder!” Suguru’s grandmother gasps before bowing as a greeting. The great elder bows back before taking a seat at where the young one once sat.

“So you’ve located and identified the star? What are you planning to do?” The Great Elder asks. Suguru turns in his direction completely with a frown plastered on his face.

“My apologies if I didn’t want your praise or your blessings, I want my life back,” Suguru answers as he turns around to exit once again, but is interrupted by the same person.

“And so did the murderers that took the life of the Star before this lifetime,” The great elder says, making Suguru raise an eyebrow. As he was about to open his mouth, he was disrupted once again.

“Don’t stoop on that level, Suguru. You’re better than those scums who murdered people just to fulfill their selfish desires,”

Suguru stands there, troubled and disoriented. He doesn’t know if he should yell at his elder or just continue on his way to finishing this once and for all. Suguru thought he understood his family’s history, but it turns out to be more complicated than it should be. Suguru lets out a frustrated scoff.

He looks at his great grandfather with his eyebrows raised and his mouth slightly agape. “What did you say?”

“Remember why we are doing this, son,” The great elder says, facing his great-grandchild. “To erase the flow of the fault this curse brought to the earth,”

Suguru stays silent, feeling a stinging pain in his palm. It was his nails digging through his skin as he tried to keep his boiling rage inside.

“People learned of this phenomenon and used it for their own gain, and we are not like those people. We are not selfish,” The great elder continues, standing up from his place.

The great elder walks up to Suguru, taking his palm, and opens it, revealing the crescent marks. Suguru takes his hands away before turning around, telling himself not to listen anymore.

“You will be with your love and your friend one day. Just be patient. The Star’s capability is powerful and the events leading to the wish that was granted 17 years ago is a carefully orchestrated one,”

Suguru stops completely. He turns around to see his great elder looking at him with an uncommon expression. One he never saw himself wearing before.

A soft look… of longing and hopefulness?

“Am I missing something?” Suguru asks, stalking forward with his eyebrow raised. The Great Elder didn’t budge, his composure never falling.

“Be patient, Suguru, don’t let your selfishness prevail, as did the traitor that caused all of this,” His grandmother says. Suguru turns around to see his grandmother’s worried face.

Suguru stands there. He looks at his shaking hands before looking back at his Great Elder, who already closed the door that leads to the way out. The third-year looks at his crescent marked wounds, clicking his tongue.

His grandmother stands and places her hands on his shoulder, guiding him to sit down with them as she caresses his head, hopefully soothing the tension and emotional pain his grandson has endured.

“We are all stuck in a loop of history and time. In a chorded braid, we must remove the tangled thread that destroys the flow,” His great elder finishes. Suguru grits his teeth before facing the two of his grandparents.

“We’ll be murderers then if this needs to be done,” Suguru asks, but the great elder’s composure stays as it is, firm and straight-faced.

“I know you don’t want to do this, Suguru,” The great elder sighs.

“But then again, it is the family’s destiny and my responsibility,” Suguru reminds himself in a mutter.

“I’m afraid it is, but we are doing this for a good cause,” The great elder sighs once again, watching his grandson’s facial expression shift.

“Why…? Why is it so cruel?” Suguru’s voice is like a whisper. “I had to push away two important people in my life so they won’t get involved… just because I need to play an important role…” Suguru looks up to his grandparents.

“… and someone has to die for the sake of fixing this fault,” He finishes.

“Tell me, please,” Suguru faces his Great Elder, not bothering being respectful anymore. “Why is it so cruel? That all of this had to happen for a mission that could’ve been fulfilled a long time ago? HUH?” Suguru questions, feeling goosebumps all over his arms as this is the first time he’s finally opening himself up with this matter.

“Suguru,” His grandmother warns, but this didn’t stop the young one.

“Tell me, you failed 600 years ago because you adopted an outsider to do the work,” Suguru leans forward. “Now you’re making your family… the young ones do these cruel jobs, for the sake of earning your respect too, why? Because you failed,”

“I was wondering why the mission wasn’t done in the past before… you used to train hundreds of assassins in the last lifetime,” Suguru adds. “I doubted this mission a lot of times and just wondered, ‘why the hell is the fault something to do in the modern era anyway?’ or maybe because the fault is… I don’t know, your immortality?”

“SUGURU!” His grandmother yells, slamming her fist on the surface of the table, but the Great Elder raises his hand to reassure her. He turns back to the young one who was scowling at him, his chest heaving up and down from the whirling frustration in his body.

“If I didn’t stop you, you could’ve made a wish to go back to your peers am I correct?” Suguru flinches at these words. A small image of the trio came into his mind, making him wince at the memory. _A selfish desire… huh?_

“The existence of the Star’s purpose is to fulfill and grant anything a man could ever ask. It is a fault because humankind became abusive that it led to humanity making absurd wishes that bend the natural state of nature. Wishes can even bend time, that is why it is considered a fault,” The great elder explains. Suguru was about to open his mouth again but was interrupted immediately.

“Every wish that was made has resulted in disrupting the flow of nature. Wishes require balance, that is why one wish is equal to one life, Suguru. But its results are never pleasant, humans are the ones making the wishes after all,” His great elder says, his voice turning stern as he continues.

And with these words, Suguru has his eyes wide open. “What do? y-,”

“Listen, Suguru!” His great elder stops him again, making the young one flinch. “Life is cruel, son, that’s why people use the wish for their selfish desires. I thought you would know that by now. If a wish is made, its power will go through great lengths just for it to come true,”

“To a point that the universe uses force as a tool, it doesn’t care if it’s destroying the flow,” His great elder finishes with a fist slam on the table, the whole room suddenly quiet.

Suguru sits back, his nose slightly scrunching at what he just heard.

“I failed in the last lifetime because of my foolishness,” The Great Elder shakes his head. “That traitor reminded me so much of the youth I’ve forgotten centuries ago, that is why I let him do whatever he wanted,”

Suguru stayed silent. He sits back before lowering his head.

“Yes, I want my immortality stripped off,” The great elder breaks the silence, but Suguru never raised his head. “That’s what we’re trying to do, Suguru,” He adds, sighing afterward.

“We will use the same power to undo a wish,”

Suguru raises his head slightly, seeing that the Great Elder never took his sights off him. The young one scoffs, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“Isn’t this selfish too?” The third-year says.

“I am part of a plan that was made centuries ago, I am simply following it,” The great elder begins again. “But of course, it won’t only be for me. We will make a wish that will involve every terrible outcome humans have made in the past to disappear, and also end the Star’s reign, for it to never be reborn ever again,”

Suguru darts his eyes to his Great Elder’s direction, before raising his head once again. He takes a long deep breath before fixing his sitting position, like the heir they trained him to be. He bites his cheek inside his mouth, gulping down the rest of the frustration he lets loose.

There was it again, the burning sensation in his cheeks, but he did his best, making sure not to let a tear fall. ‘I guess the reunion will have to wait,’

The Great Elder smiles gently at the young third-year.

“You did great Suguru, you stopped yourself from letting your emotions control you, you differ from the rest of our family,” He says, and so is Suguru’s grandmother. “If you had made the wish, then history would repeat like what Yamaneko did to his lifetime,”

Suguru raises an eyebrow slightly, facing his grandfather. “What did Yamaneko do anyway?” The third-year asks, his voice still a little shaky from his outburst a while ago.

His Great Elder suddenly wore another expression similar to what this third-year saw a while ago. His greatest grandfather then answers.

“He let his emotions control him,”

Suguru thought he understood his family’s history, but it turns out to be more complicated than it should be… Suguru watches his Great Elder stand up.

“Now, follow me. I have something to show you,” He says… leaving Suguru wide-eyed as finally, for the first time in years, he realized that his 1300-year-old Grandfather just opened up to him.

*** 

“Hey… Akaashi,” Kenma speaks, after hearing Akaashi’s grumbling voice from the other side of the line. Akaashi changes tone immediately after realizing it was only his friend.

“Oh, hi Kenma,” Akaashi greets in his groggy voice. “It’s rare for you to call me… especially in the middle of the night,” He says on the other side of the line while checking the time from his digital clock.

Kenma faces the ceiling with his phone pressed on his ear. He takes a deep breath, feeling a little guilty at what he just did. “Nothing, I just…” he begins, already unsure at what he was about to tell.

“Keiji? I just… I,” Kenma pauses, the words stuck in his throat.

“Yeah, I’m here, I won’t leave, ok?” Akaashi reassures, Kenma takes this time to breathe. The semi-blonde gulps down before speaking his mind.

“I’m confused. I don’t know what’s happening,” Kenma says.

“Why is that?” Akaashi asks from the other side of the line. Kenma turns to his side on the bed.

“Something doesn't make sense, since… I get these flashes, like a flashback or something,” Kenma replies, his voice almost stammering. “Flashbacks are normal, right?”

“Yeah. Go on,” Akaashi encourages with his tired voice. He must be fighting to stay awake for Kenma. And with that thought, Kenma immediately answers.

“But when I get these flashes it’s… it’s always related to memories, right?”

“Yeah,” Akaashi yawns a bit.

“But these memories don’t make sense to me, I’ve been noticing it by now,” Kenma replies, rolling to the other side of his bed again.

“In what way?” Akaashi asks.

Kenma pauses for a while until he finds the right words to describe it. “Like… they aren’t mine,”

There was a slight pause between them. Kenma patiently waited for the other to speak, he heard shifting of fabric on the other line until Akaashi broke the silence.

“Kenma…” Akaashi says, his voice not groggy anymore. This made Kenma feel a little self-conscious.

“Was it too weird?” The semi-blonde asks but the answer Akaashi gave surprised him.

“Bokuto told me the same thing before,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 3 or 4 more chapters before the end of part 1!
> 
> Anyways, the next chapter might take longer than usual (because of school and personal reasons).
> 
> I just want to thank those who have been following this story since the beginning. so, what do you guys think? 
> 
> After I finish the first part of this REALLY LONG FIC, I will rewrite the whole thing but don't worry, the story won't change, just some parts that don't make sense will. SO yeah!
> 
> I'm super thankful for Tati for helping me with the edits and for Beta reading!
> 
> See you in the next chapter! probably after a few weeks... I think.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you guys liked it. I'm Misty by the way, so Hi! thank you for taking your time to read the notes and see you next week.


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